


The Future Belongs to Those Who Procreate

by AbhorrentGodliness



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alexithymia, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Asphyxiation, Begging, Blackmail, Blow Jobs, Breathplay, Creampie, Cunnilingus, Deepthroating, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub, Established Relationship, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Facials, Gentle Kissing, Gentle Sex, Hair-pulling, Heavy Angst, Infertility, Intimacy, Marriage, Multiple Orgasms, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Oral Sex, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Overstimulation, Post-Canon, Praise Kink, Procreative Sex, Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Size Difference, Size Kink, Smut, Subspace, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-01-23 03:03:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21313126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbhorrentGodliness/pseuds/AbhorrentGodliness
Summary: After weeks of stress and tension built up like a coil over the wedding of the last Maxson, the day had finally come and gone. Having solidified their relationship with vows and rings and a kiss—the promise of a bright future for not just the freshly donned husband and wife, but for the Brotherhood and the future of the Maxson line, as well—the newlyweds were rushed off and encouraged to spend some time together, alone, with only one thing left to do: consummate their marriage.Now, the responsibilities and expectations for them both included procreation as the Elder Council expected at least two Maxson heirs.
Relationships: Arthur Maxson/Female Sole Survivor, Arthur Maxson/Sole Survivor
Comments: 62
Kudos: 87





	1. Spring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May 23-24, 2288

After weeks of stress and tension built up like a coil over the wedding of the last Maxson, the Citadel bustling to prepare for a ceremony even Elders from other chapters all around the wasteland traveled to attend, the day had finally come and gone.

They’d spent most of it in the bailey where the actual wedding took place, the training grounds having been cleared out of its dummies and target boards only to be filled with seats and tables a plenty, enough for every attendee. And there were many—people who’d watched Arthur Maxson grow from a boy into a man, becoming the young Elder they knew today, as well as some of the companions who’d worked alongside Nora in the Commonwealth and other people she’d grown fond of. Of course, some of them were unable to attend, but she’d understood the reasons why.

White decorations symbolizing a new, fresh marriage were strung around the bailey like bland Christmas lights and hung on the walls within both the A and B rings while music and congratulations flowed through the halls and echoed throughout the entirety of the Citadel. Soldiers of all ranks had a certain pep in their step after being witness to the new, happy couple having solidified their relationship with vows and rings and a kiss—the promise of a bright future for not just the freshly donned husband and wife, but for the Brotherhood and the future of the Maxson line, as well.

But as the bailey was being cleaned up, tables and chairs stacked into storage and decorations torn down, the newlyweds were rushed off and encouraged to spend some time together, alone, with only one thing left to do: consummate their marriage.

“My beautiful _wife,”_ Arthur purred as he placed slow, gentle kisses along Nora’s clavicle, “Mrs. Nora Maxson.”

“Mm. I love the sound of it.”

It was to be their first time together since Elders were expected to remain abstinent until marriage in order to prevent the risk of unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, especially considering there weren’t any real preventative measures or ways to practice safe sex in the wasteland. Arthur was to be a virgin, having never married before, and Nora was to be—well, they knew she couldn’t be one because she’d had a child before the bombs, but the Council was fine with that. It meant she was fertile, and he’d made sure to present that point when he’d brought the idea of marrying Nora Parker before the Council.

“Good, because it’s the only name you’ll ever have from here on out.” The Elder gradually trailed his lips up her throat and chin until finally reaching her mouth, where he pulled her into a deep, slow kiss.

Nora had once said the abstinence-until-marriage rule reminded her of the strict religious families from back in her time, before the bombs, who absolutely _refused_ to have any sort of relations outside marriage. But despite how she’d claimed those same families were mostly judgmental and unaccepting of others who were different from them, Arthur couldn’t really disagree with the rest of her comparison; the Brotherhood had a lot of expectations for Elders—especially a _Maxson_—and having sexual relations before marriage was against the rules.

“Do you think they know we’ve been fucking for the past six months?” she asked against his lips.

But Arthur didn’t much care for those types of rules.

“I don’t think it matters anymore.”

His wife spread her legs a bit wider around his broad frame, welcoming him closer to her core. Their clothes had been removed almost as soon as they entered the bedroom because, despite being a patient man, Arthur wasted no time tonight. He wanted her naked and bared to him so he could take her—so he could fully claim her as his own after having read his vows and given her the ring that had been passed down through his family for generations.

Nora submitted her throat to him, such a beautiful sight, and he immediately attacked it with kisses and sucks and bites to the tender flesh, coaxing noises from her that only made his cock pulse and ache between both his legs and hers while he slid the length of it along her folds.

They’d been as careful as possible without the option of preventative measures, making sure he never finished inside and always avoiding vaginal sex during times she was most fertile; and, thus far, they’d been lucky she hadn’t gotten pregnant. But he was right that it didn’t matter anymore because now that they were married, the expectations held for them _both_ involved procreation. The Council expected at least two Maxson heirs, but Arthur would gladly take his wife to bed over and over and over again if it meant he could make her sing as he filled her.

“Please fuck me, Arthur,” Nora whispered. She threaded her fingers into his hair while her other arm draped over the back of his shoulders, pulling him as close as she could, demanding an intimacy he had been reluctant to give her once upon a time but now eagerly provided. “I want you inside me so bad.” Her voice was needy and breathy, and she did it on purpose because she knew it drove him wild to hear her beg him to fuck her while saying his name. He couldn’t deny her any longer—he couldn’t deny _himself_ any longer.

A low noise thundered from deep in his chest before he shifted onto one forearm, reaching down between their bodies to take hold of his cock and guide himself into her. There was no foreplay tonight—he didn’t care to have his dick sucked nor did she to be eaten out or prepped—because they both wanted to be tied together by more than just wedding rings and vows, to be as close as possible as soon as possible. Even still, he took it slow, rolling his hips back and forth to ease his cock into her inch by inch, garnering sharp gasps and hissing inhales from her throat that made him pause to give her a break before continuing again.

It’d been a few weeks since they’d last fucked, not being allowed to sleep in the same room since they weren’t married, and he’d been too busy to find time to sneak off with her and take her in secret. That, alone, should have been enough to tell them she needed to be prepped, because while Nora’s hipbones may have widened to accommodate birthing a child, she was still physically half his size. Arthur was average in length for someone of his height of six-feet two-inches, but he was also fairly thick, which meant he had to watch how rough he was with her in the beginning.

Their lips crashed together so he could devour every sound and syllable she made, letting them resonate through his bones rather than the metal walls of the room; and once he was finally hilted, his hips remained still and flush against hers to give her time to adjust. The kiss broke and left them both panting but his mouth was quickly back at her clavicle, lips softly brushing along the bony area.

“Mm. You were made for me, Nora,” he purred against her. A callused hand slid down her body and to the outside of her thigh, gently pulling it up and against his hip. “You take every inch of me so fucking well.”

The fingers in his hair gently grabbed but didn’t tug—she knew better—though the hand on the back of his shoulder dug nails into his skin, biting. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Made just for you. Only you. All yours, baby.”

“That’s right.” He made a gentle nip against the column of her throat. “You know who you belong to, don’t you?” Arthur pulled his hips back and then pushed them forward slowly, making a few shallow thrusts to test the waters. It’d felt like so long since he’d been inside her—_too long_—and he wanted to savor every fucking second. “You’re mine and now everyone will know it because you have my last name and you wear the wedding ring that I put on your finger not even five hours ago.” Those test thrusts turned into regular ones fairly quickly, but they remained gentle and slow; soft kisses were placed along her throat, loving and affectionate, before he finally lifted his head to meet her gaze.

“Everyone knew I was yours even before we got married. No one dared to—_mmm_—look at me because they knew you’d kill them; they knew I belonged to you. I always have and—” Nora gasped as he made a harder thrust, only for him to return to that same slow pace he’d been at before, “—And I always will.”

Sliding his hand back up her thigh and side, Maxson stroked his palm over her breast and up her throat until he reached her mouth, his thumb tracing along her bottom lip until she granted him access. He took that opportunity to slide the digit into her mouth, pressing the pad down on her tongue before she closed her lips around his knuckle and began to suck.

“Such a good girl.” Arthur pulled his hips back slowly before pushing forward roughly, Nora’s lips parting as she stopped sucking and, instead, released a fairly loud moan. His thumb slid free from her mouth, brushing the wetness along her jaw; she was panting, but her demand nearly made him moan.

“Harder,” she whispered. “Fuck me harder, baby.”

The Elder’s tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip just as he pulled away, leaving her empty along with the promise to fill her again soon; he shifted to sit back on his haunches and moved closer between her legs, pulling her hips up to where her ass rested on his thighs at a higher level than her head. From there, he reached down and pushed himself back in to the base with one fluid motion, coaxing another noise from her that was stifled.

Grabbing her waist, his fingers dug into the tender flesh as he started thrusting again—_hard._ He wasted no time, taking her roughly, the sound of skin slapping against skin nearly echoing in the room and leaving Nora a moaning mess beneath him fairly quickly. His thumb found her clit, hand splayed atop her mound as he rubbed quick, rough circles on the swollen bud while his hips continued to move, cock pounding into her. One of her hands grabbed his wrist—the one that remained at her waist—while her other clenched the sheets into her palm as her body jerked up the bed with each rough thrust he made; he could already feel her legs trembling around him, warning of her impending climax.

“I want you to cum for me, Nora. I want you to let me hear everything—and let everyone in the fucking Citadel hear exactly how good I fuck you and make you feel. I know you’re holding back.”

A shake of her head refused his order, but that was unacceptable. Nora was not a quiet woman during sex—he’d had complaints from Paladin Danse in the past about how loud she was since their rooms were so close on the Prydwen—though Maxson knew she didn’t want everyone in the Citadel to hear her screaming, which was why she was holding back; but he didn’t really give a fuck right now. She was his _wife,_ they’d just left their fucking wedding, and if the rest of the Citadel didn’t expect to hear her keening his name in ecstasy as he fucked her senseless, then they were sadly mistaken because that was _exactly_ what she’d be doing before the night ended—and she’d be repeating the two-syllable word over and over until he made sure she was fucked out.

The hand on her hip left, her own releasing his wrist, and he hiked her leg over his shoulder before leaning forward, pressing her thigh close to her chest while using that same hand to wrap his fingers around her throat. Arthur pressed her back into the mattress without squeezing, only holding, his other hand continuing to furiously rub her clit and draw her closer to the edge. But the change in angle must have had his cock repeatedly hitting that hidden bundle of nerves inside her because she was nearly _mewling_ beneath him—and he could only fuck her harder in an attempt to make it louder.

“Yes, you are. You’re gonna—_mmmfuck_—you’re gonna cum for me and scream my name. Do you understand me?” The Elder accentuated his point by snapping his hips against her, the hard _clap_ sounding louder than the other noises in the room; Nora yelped but nodded her head.

“Yes, Sir. I un—I understand.”

“Good girl,” he panted. “Now, let go and let me hear you cum.”

She wrapped her fingers around his wrist again as he held onto her throat, his hips speeding up enough to where the bed was knocking against the wall and creaking beneath them, but it was nothing compared to how loud Nora became. She was letting go, her back arching as her cunt tightened around his cock—squeezing, pulsing, threatening to release.

“That’s it, baby. Cum for me. Let me hear it.”

When she tipped over the edge, her pussy clamped around him like a vise, and Maxson moaned from just how _tight_ she felt as she keened his name, her sounds reverberating off the walls and every piece of furniture in the room. She was trembling beneath him and the hand that had been clenching the bedsheets instead found his shoulder, nails digging in and clawing down his chest, leaving behind raised, red lines in their wake that only encouraged him to keep going, to make the bed bang, bang, _bang_ against the wall over and over again.

It didn’t take long for him to get close to the edge, but rather than finishing inside her like he knew he should—like he knew was his _responsibility_—Arthur pulled out and wrapped his hand around his cock, squeezing at the base. He pushed her leg off his shoulder and got to his feet on the mattress, climbing up her body before dropping to his knees so he was straddling her chest. The suddenness of his heavy weight collapsing onto her knocked the breath out of her lungs in the form of an _’oof!’_ that he paid no mind to as he stroked himself with one hand, his other threading fingers into her hair to hold her head still to keep her from turning away.

His hand was quick and focused mainly on the head of his cock, that heat coiling in his belly and at the base of his spine the longer he stroked, wrist twisting and turning each time he changed direction. A quick exhale puffed his cheeks out and just as he felt himself tipping over the edge, he angled his cockhead at her, squeezing and stroking while a low moan escaped him. Nora kept her mouth and eyes shut when he came on her face, his spend stringing along her cheeks and mouth and nose; and just as the last drop of cum beaded on the head of his cock, he rubbed it along her lips.

When he was finished, he was panting, his eyes staring down at her from beneath half-lids, admiring his work like she was a portrait he’d just finished painting. Her own eyes opened to meet his gaze and he could only give her a lopsided grin that upturned his left cheek more than his right. “Mm. You have my last name, my ring on your finger, and now my cum on your face. There is no denying you belong to me, Leonora Maxson.”

══════════════════

“Elder Maxson, thank you for coming.”

Arthur was seated at the round desk in the Great Hall, his back to the door, while three Elders sat across the room from him. They were all older—three men at least in their 50s—and held their authority above him like a dangling electric wire that would zap him if he stood too tall or jumped too high. And at the same time, they made him feel like the bar they’d set over his head was so damned high that he didn’t even know where it was, let alone how to reach it.

Despite the fact all four of them held the same title, the three men before him made important decisions that were voted on and included the High Elder—the leader of the Brotherhood overall—and that made them, essentially, more important and of a slightly higher rank than Maxson.

But there were supposed to be four Elders on the Council, not three, and Arthur knew who that extra seat was vacant for.

“Of course, Elder Gunny. It is my honor and duty to stand before the Council today.”

“Very good, then we can get this moving along,” another man—Elder Hardin—said.

“Should we not wait for High Elder Sanders?” Arthur asked, noting the room was emptier than it should have been despite the numerous vacant seats.

“No, no,” Elder Bael replied, “He doesn’t need to be here for this. We are just speaking to you about expectations.”

Maxson tipped his chin up just slightly as suspicion prickled in his spine of why the High Elder wouldn’t be present in the room with the rest of the Council when speaking about _expectations_ of another Elder, but he remained silent for now and simply folded his hands in his lap as he waited. He wasn’t fond of having to sit across the room from a group of men who clearly looked down on him while a bright light sat in the center of the space, blinding his view, making him feel like he was being interrogated by some prewar detective who would ask him where he was on some specific night of some specific date during some specific timeframe. He would have no answer to give them.

“First of all, congratulations on your marriage, Elder Maxson,” Gunny said, and Arthur gave a slight nod, returning a quiet thanks. “But as you’ve heard since you were a squire, you are the last of the Maxson line, so it is expected that you procreate immediately. We wanted to be sure you’ve spoken to your wife about this.”

Ah, of course, just as he’d expected. When he and Nora were having… well, _problems,_ he’d thrown it in her face how the Council would expect them to have children right away after they were married, attempting to push her away and giving her an out. And he’d reiterated the point later on, too, when they had entered an actual relationship; she was fine with it and that was certainly a relief to hear because by that time, he’d already grown attached to her.

“Yes, I have spoken to her about it,” Arthur confirmed. “She understands my responsibility as a Maxson to conceive heirs that will carry on my name and she is more than willing to birth my children.” 

“Excellent,” Gunny exclaimed with a smile on his face. 

“And is she aware of how children are raised within the Brotherhood?” Bael butted in. The question wasn’t asked with malice—the man wasn’t the greatest at conversation, never had been—but the young Elder couldn’t help it when his jaw tensed. 

“She is, yes.” 

“And she, as a prewar woman, has no problem with this?” 

Telling them Nora had no problem with how children were raised within the Brotherhood—becoming squires at ten and initiates at sixteen—would be an outright lie; but admitting that she did, in fact, have a problem with it would make them believe she was unfit to be his wife when it had barely even been twenty-four hours since they were wed. So, he went halfway.

“We are working on it.” 

“Mrs. Maxson has had a child before, is that correct?” Elder Hardin asked. 

Arthur would have been thankful for the change in subject if it were anyone but Hardin asking the question; the man was… unkind. And it wasn’t that _Arthur_ was kind—because he wasn’t, not really, though Nora had changed him significantly—but Hardin went far out of his way to insult and harm people just because he could; so, bringing up Nora’s past motherhood was an automatic red flag that continuously waved in his face. 

There were no rose-colored glasses here. 

“Yes, she had a son.” 

“And he… died?” 

“I don’t see how her son’s death is relevant here when it was not related to her pregnancy.” 

“Elder Hardin, perhaps you could be a little less skeptical at the moment,” Gunny snapped, and the two men stared at one another before Hardin conceded and looked down at something in front of him—papers, most likely, but the light in the center of the room was still too damn bright. 

“I understand the next set of questions might be uncomfortable, but we must ensure you are doing everything you possibly can to conceive,” Bael began; the strange consideration put Arthur on edge. “Did you and your wife consummate your marriage last night?” 

“Yes.” 

“And did you finish inside her?” 

Maxson had never been one for embarrassment, not really; he’d no real reason to be, and before Nora came along, he’d locked his emotions away, anything that allowed embarrassment included. But the question was _infuriating._ It was no business of theirs, and while Arthur may not have had any problem providing them with an answer in the past, he valued Nora’s privacy above all else. 

There was also the small problem of the fact that no, he didn’t actually finish inside Nora last night; he’d cum on her face, instead. Arthur had strung his spend along her soft skin, telling her _he owned her now_ before wiping it off with his cock and making her suck him clean—and the mere memory made his stomach twist with arousal. 

But he couldn’t tell them the truth, not even halfway. Not about that. 

“Yes.” 

There were a few seconds of silence as the three men stared down at the papers in front of them. Gunny hummed for a moment before nodding his head. “Elder Maxson, I believe that is all we needed to speak to you about at the moment. You are free to leave,” he said. 

It was irritating, to say the least, to be brought into the Great Hall for something as simple as going over the fact he needed to procreate—something he’d heard time and time again—and then be asked whether he’d cum inside his wife the night before. But at least it was over with. 

“Very well,” Maxson said as he stood. “Elders Gunny, Bael, Hardin. Thank you for your time. Ad Victoriam.” With a salute, Arthur left the room and started back to his own, ready to return to his wife. 


	2. No Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I think what Elder Bael means,” Hardin butted in, “Is we are having trouble understanding why your wife has not yet gotten pregnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> August 24, 2288

“You can take it, pet,” Arthur murmured. Both hands held fistfuls of strawberry-blonde locks as he kept her nose pressed firmly against his groin, forcing her to deepthroat his cock even though she was gagging on it. Her throat constricted around him while her palms pushed against his thighs, trying to free herself from his grasp so she could breathe, but he held her still, regardless. “Swallow—yeah, that’s it. Good girl,” he praised breathlessly.

When he finally pulled her off, Nora coughed and gasped for air, her arm raising to wipe at her mouth and breaking the strings of saliva that kept the remaining connections between his cock and her lips. He released her hair from one hand and reached down to grab her throat with it instead, wrapping his fingers around the column while he leaned the front half of his body down to firmly press his lips against hers in a rough kiss, his tongue delving into her mouth only to be greeted by the softness of her own.

“Such a good girl for me,” he purred against her lips after the kiss broke. Arthur stood back up and released her throat while the hand that remained in her hair nudged her toward his cock again, silently ordering her to continue.

The vaultie eagerly obeyed and took him back into her mouth, immediately bobbing her head; she swirled her tongue along the underside of his shaft each time she went back and forth, and dragged it over the soft top of the head when she pulled back far enough, sending shivers up and down his spine from the sensitivity of the area. 

Both hands were threaded back into her hair before he pulled her nose flush with his groin, forcing her to deepthroat him again—but she had time to prepare herself so she didn’t gag. Instead, she swallowed around him repeatedly, and he couldn’t help the low moan that escaped his chest from the feeling of her throat constricting around the head of his cock over and over. 

But he suddenly pulled her off him and yanked her up to her feet by her hair. “Get on the bed on your hands and knees,” he ordered, gently pushing her in the direction he wanted her to go.

Nora immediately listened and he couldn’t help it as he watched her bare ass sashay across the room and over to the bed, her hips swaying seductively because she knew he’d be staring—she was always such a fucking tease. Still, he pushed his underwear down and off the rest of the way and prowled after her, moving onto the bed behind her as she was on her hands and knees. Arthur shifted so his knees were on the outside of her own, shins crossed over her calves to pin her legs where they were at just as he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his vault dweller’s midsection, pulling her up and against his chest before his mouth immediately went to her shoulder so he could bite down on the sensitive skin.

A loud moan escaped her when she was bitten, her back arching away from him as she wiggled her ass against his groin, urging him to grind into her as she knew he would.

“Tell me what you want,” he ordered after releasing her skin but before biting another spot.

“I want you to fuck me until I can’t feel my legs.”

“Mm. I can do that.”

When a grin started to take over her face, he suddenly pushed her forward, the shove too hard and too fast that she was unable to catch herself in time and instead went face-first into the mattress. Arthur grabbed her wrists and pinned them behind her back, holding them with one hand while keeping her torso pressed into the bed; his other hand went to his cock, but rather than pushing into her right away, he slapped the shaft against the outside of her pussy a few times. Nora gasped—at least until he started bumping the head against her clit repeatedly until she was whining and squirming beneath him; only then did he finally slip in.

He’d fingered her earlier, but despite that, he still took it slow by easing in like he always did even though she didn’t need it in the same way she would when she wasn’t prepped. He didn’t want to risk hurting her, not like that.

“Oh, god, Arthur,” she whispered, her face turning more into the mattress just before he was finally hilted inside her.

“Say it,” he quietly ordered. There was a pause and he should have known she was up to no good.

“Please fuck me with your fat cock, daddy-o.” _Smack._ “OW!”

“Try again.”

“Okay, okay. Sorry. Grump—” _Smack._ “OW! Arthur!”

“Keep it up and you won’t enjoy tonight.”

Nora went quiet for a long moment and he could almost see the cogs turning in her head at a rapid pace as she was having an internal debate with herself about how much more foolishness she could get away with before he stopped playing nice, as well as what, exactly, he would discipline her with. 

“Sorry, Sir.”

“Good girl,” he praised. That was much better. “Now, say it.” But, just like before, he should have expected her to be up to something when she paused again.

“Pulverize me, daddy—” _Smack._ “OW!”

“Damnit, Nora,” he grumbled; but she was laughing—nearly _snorting_ into the mattress because she found herself so goddamn funny—and he couldn’t help but to roll his eyes at how ridiculous she was. Still, he was rock fucking hard and already buried balls-deep in her pussy, so he wasn’t about to waste such a good opportunity to cum, no matter how she wanted to act.

Reaching forward, Arthur grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her up, pulling her upper body off the mattress just slightly so she wasn’t laying against it anymore, but not pulling her upright. Nora yelped, her laugh coming to an abrupt end, and she tried to pull her hands free with the likely intention to grab his arm to reduce the strain he had on her hair, but he never released her wrists, so she was forced to remain still and endure what he was giving her—especially when his hips started moving. And he didn’t start out slow, either; no, he immediately started fucking her roughly, his groin smacking against her ass with hard, loud _clap, clap, claps_ while the bed creaked and was already hitting the metal wall with echoing bangs.

It was annoying, but nothing could be done about the furniture.

“Oh, fuck. Oh, fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck_fuckfuckfuck!”_

“Yeah, that got you to shut your mouth real—_mmmfuck_—real fucking quick, didn’t it?” he growled.

“N-no, I—” she started but never finished her sentence and he couldn’t help but laugh.

“That’s what I thought.” Arthur released her hair and shoved her head forward just before letting go of her hands. He pulled his cock out, palm bracing against her back to push her down onto her stomach, legs spread wide and ass slightly in the air while his knees straddled the outside of her thighs, shins still crossed over her calves. The Elder leaned back just long enough to push himself into her once more, and he then shifted forward and planted his hands on either side of her before he started thrusting—and Nora was keening beneath him almost immediately.

She reached forward and wrapped her fingers around his wrists, tightly holding onto him as he fucked into her from above, making her ass bounce up from the bed with each thrust he made. His vault dweller became a moaning mess fairly quickly as the angle he was fucking her from seemed to be hitting that bundle of nerves inside her perfectly; she was unable to speak or do anything other than mewl for him.

“What’s wrong, pet? Don’t wanna say anything else? Don’t wanna—_mmm_—don’t wanna run your mouth anymore?” he taunted. He watched her closely from where he was, though he could only see the side of her face: her eyes were closed and her lips were slightly parted as she panted and moaned, a red flush running up her face and almost devouring her freckles. 

“N-no, Sir,” she whispered.

“Why not? Too preoccupied with my—_fuck_—with my dick in your cunt?”

“Yes—yes, Sir,” the vaultie breathed. “Oh, god. That feels so fucking good, baby.”

Arthur was pulling out nearly all the way and he could almost feel the bottom of the head of his cock slipping free from her pussy as he pulled back before shoving his hips down against her ass, slamming himself back in. While he couldn’t easily feel her trembling beneath him like this, he could tell she was getting close from how she was tightening around him, as well as from the way she sounded.

And the way she announced her incoming climax.

“Oh, god, Arthur. I’m gonna cum. Please don’t stop, baby, I’m gonna—oh, fuck—wha—_no!”_ He pulled out just before she tipped over the edge and she nearly screamed at him. “No, no, no, no, Arthur! Please, baby, I’m sorry. I’ll be a good girl! Please don’t—”

“I don’t believe you,” he said quietly. Her hips were pushing up into him, the curve of her ass rubbing against the length of his cock, the head sliding down and rubbing along her folds as if she was trying to get him back in.

“Please, Arthur. Please let me cum. I’m sorry for being bad.”

The Elder reached back and grabbed his cock before guiding himself back in, sinking balls-deep once more and garnering a loud moan from his wife. Immediately, he began thrusting again, both hands back on the bed on either side of her in order to hold himself up as he started fucking her roughly, seeming to hit that bundle of nerves just right like before if her keening was anything to go by.

“Fuck yes, fuck yes, fuck yes, oh god—”

But just as he felt her tightening around him, he pulled out again.

“Nononononononono_nonononono!_ Arthur, _please!”_

“Have you learned your lesson yet?”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, I’ve learned! I promise! I’ll never do it again, baby.”

“Then why isn’t it a good idea to run your mouth, Nora?”

“Because it makes me a bad girl and—and bad girls don’t get to cum. But I’ll be a good girl, I promise.” Her voice was breathless and panicky as if she was desperate to cum, like she was scared he’d deny her the rest of the time; it sounded so damn good.

“Why don’t I believe you yet?”

“I—I—” she started but was cut off when he pushed back in, a loud moan escaping her instead.

Arthur went back to pounding into her, his hips clapping against her ass and fighting with the bed banging against the wall and Nora’s mewling for which could be the loudest—Nora won, of course. It didn’t take long before she was about to tip over that edge again, so when he denied her the third time, she was nearly sobbing, _begging_ him to let her cum.

“Please, Arthur. Please, I’ll do anything, just please let me cum, baby. Please, please, please, pleasepleasepleaseplease_please!”_

He didn’t bother with a response this time because he didn’t need to give her one—she’d learned her lesson well enough now that she’d stop mouthing off for a while. Then again, Nora never actually _learned_ any lessons so much as she just stopped doing something for a small amount of time rather than stopping overall just because he disciplined her. His disciplinary actions mostly consisted of spankings and denying her orgasms until the end of their session, but she’d grown used to the spankings and even _enjoyed_ them, and while orgasm denial until the end of their session worked to some degree, he’d had to take some more extreme measures in rare cases, such as not letting her cum for a few days at a time. 

The Elder pushed back into her and returned to fucking her roughly, his hips slamming against her over and over again as he started chasing his own orgasm, knowing she would tip over the edge right alongside him. Soon enough, he felt her cunt tightening around his cock and, rather than denying her for the fourth time, he allowed her to cum. Nora came undone around him and beneath him while screaming his name, her body trembling while her hands squeezed his wrists, and Arthur was quick to follow.

“Fuck, Nora,” he growled, his hips thrusting against her once, twice, thrice more until he finally pushed himself flush against her and came with a low moan. He was panting, his eyes closed as he remained still for a few moments before slipping out—the _wet_ sound from the action being extremely loud and nearly making him groan from just how hot it sounded. He rolled over to lay on his back beside her and Nora shifted to lay against his side, her head on his chest while her legs were closed to keep his cum from leaking out.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” he replied quietly as his arm wrapped around her, pulling her tightly against his body.

══════════════════

“Elder Maxson, thank you for joining us on such short notice.”

Arthur had been free from seeing the Elder Council for three months, not having to deal with their intimidation tactics that demanded he and his wife procreate despite their attempts to do so. “Of course, Elder Bael. It is my honor and duty to stand before the Council today.” Meaningless words repeated more times than he could count, from their very first utterance to their very last.

“It has been three months since your marriage to the vault dweller Nora Parker, is that correct?” Bael asked.

“Yes, that is correct.”

“And she has been receiving pregnancy tests every two weeks, yes?”

“That is also correct.”

“I think what Elder Bael means,” Hardin butted in, “Is we are having trouble understanding why your wife has not yet gotten pregnant.” Bael, the youngest Elder of the three on the Council, shot Hardin a dry look but didn’t correct him; Hardin just continued. “You were instructed from the first day of your marriage to procreate and yet it has been three months without any positive results. We would like to know why.”

The accusatory tone made Arthur shift uncomfortably in his seat as rage was boiling deep in his gut; he knew what he and Nora had to do, and they were certainly _trying_ to get her pregnant, but it was just taking time. Yet, before he'd even stepped into the Great Hall with the Elder Council, he'd guessed what they wanted to speak to him about and knew they were unhappy with the results of each of Nora's pregnancy tests. It was something he wasn't looking forward to discussing. 

And it didn't help that the damned light in the center of the room was still much too bright; it prevented him from seeing the three men very well. “These things take time, as I’m sure you understand. Pregnancies don’t always happen right away,” Maxson explained. “Couples have been known to try for years before they have any results.”

Hardin scoffed, unamused—which would have been humorous if Arthur was not also unamused himself. “I’m finding it hard to believe you’re even _trying,_ Elder Maxson,” the man spat.

It was then Arthur tipped his chin down just slightly, eyes narrowing. Was he serious? What did he want, proof that he and Nora were having sex? A recording? A holotape? Pictures? _Did he want to be in the fucking room?_ “I can assure you my wife and I are trying to conceive, Elder Hardin. It’s just taking longer than expected,” he said through gritted teeth.

Gunny cleared his throat, finally speaking up after having remained quiet the entire time—which was a shame, because out of the three Council Elders, he was certainly the kindest and most rational. “I do not doubt you are trying, Arthur. But you must understand how impatient and insistent the Brotherhood is about you having an heir, being the last Maxson and all. It is of the utmost importance that you and your wife conceive as soon as possible.”

“I do understand, but I also feel that accusing me of not trying at all is out of line,” he hissed. His patience was growing thin, especially with Hardin.

“Your complaint has been noted, Elder Maxson. I will go over it with High Elder Sanders when he arrives at the Citadel next. For now, let us speak about your attempts to conceive,” Bael said, changing the subject. The man often lacked the ability to communicate well; then again, it wasn’t like Arthur had much room to talk because he could hardly read emotional expressions, himself.

Yet, this subject change didn’t sound good—it just sounded like more invasive questioning that was perhaps _even worse_ invasive questioning than the last time.

“How many times per week do you and Mrs. Maxson typically have sex?” Bael asked.

Fuck.

Arthur cleared his throat. “Ah… at least once per day,” he answered truthfully. The room grew eerily silent for a long few moments and he couldn’t help but shift awkwardly in his chair again. All three Council Elders were more than twice his age which meant they no longer had the same stamina or shorter refractory period as someone of Arthur’s age—not to mention Arthur had a very short refractor period as it was, anyway—so perhaps his admission prompted them to think about their pasts.

It was… uncomfortable.

Bael cleared his throat next but Hardin spoke up instead. “What positions do you often have sex in?”

“I don’t—” Maxson cut himself off, his face filled with confusion and irritation. What sort of question was that? Why did it even matter? “—I don’t think that actually pertains to anything, Elder Hardin.”

“It does,” the oldest Elder corrected. “Some positions are better for conceiving than others.”

“Ah… well, uh,” he began, reaching a hand up to scratch at his beard—a tic he’d gained when he became frustrated. He was glad Nora wasn’t here because she really wouldn’t be happy with these questions; not that he was, but she’d certainly handle them differently. Of course, he’d tell her once he got back to their quarters just like he’d told her about the last meeting, but the woman had a temper, and if she heard them being asked right now, well… “A lot of different ones, I suppose.”

“I see,” Hardin mumbled. “And do you often finish inside her?”

Maxson’s jaw tensed. “Yes, I do.”

The room went silent again before Bael suggested certain positions to him—weirdly enough—that were supposed to help increase the possibility of conception. Nora lying on her back and having her legs in the air, or curling her legs against her chest, or some other strange things he’d never heard of making a difference because they made no sense. Still, he took mental notes of each position; and when he thought the meeting was over, he was ready to get up and leave.

Except it wasn’t over.

“Your wife will still receive pregnancy tests every two weeks, but we will meet with you again in another three months to discuss where to go from that point on,” Hardin said. “However, if the results are still negative for her pregnancy by the time we meet again, we _will_ need to get involved to some degree. Is that understood?”

Arthur had never wanted to punch someone as much as he had right now.

But what did that even mean? _Get involved?_ How would they even get involved?

He couldn’t think on it now. They had three months, that would be plenty of time. “Yes, I understand,” Maxson confirmed.

“Very good, Elder Maxson. You are dismissed,” Bael said.

With a salute, he turned to leave, making it to the door—

“Oh, and Arthur,” Hardin called; Arthur stopped but didn’t turn around. “The future belongs to those who procreate—no one else. Keep that in mind.”


	3. Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “As we said last time, we would need to intervene if the pregnancy tests continued to come up negative. And since that is the case, we, as the Elder Council, discussed how to get involved,” Bael explained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> November 24, 2288

“Come here.”

Arthur watched as she gave him a slow look over from where she sat on her knees at the foot of the bed, her gaze lingering on his hard cock, tongue darting out to wet her bottom lip as she stared before she finally returned her eyes back to his face and obeyed, crawling across the bed toward him. His legs were spread wide, knees bent outward as he leaned against the headboard, and he guided her to sit between them and lean back into his chest, her calves crossing over his shins.

Soft kisses were pressed to her neck, coaxing her to tip her head to the side while his arms slid beneath hers, one palm moving to her breast as the other slid down between her legs. Nora was already soaking wet even before his fingers started rubbing her clit in slow, teasing circles, and she released a soft exhale at his touches; but when he sped them up, her hands went to his thighs, fingers digging into the meat while quiet moans escaped her throat.

He latched onto her neck with his teeth, biting hard into the crook and convincing those noises to escalate in pitch while he sucked on the skin he’d pulled into his mouth, holding onto it tightly with the intention to bruise. Before he released her, though, his hand slid further down between her legs and his middle and ring fingers dipped into her pussy to the last knuckle. She immediately keened, her back arching away from him and forcing his teeth to let go.

The Elder licked his bottom lip as he pulled her body closer to his chest, his palm roughly groping her tit while he lowered his head to where his mouth was right beside her ear. “I’m gonna make you cum on my fingers, and then after I stretch you open, I’m gonna fuck you until you can’t see straight,” he whispered.

“Fuck yes,” she hissed, her nails now digging into his legs, leaving behind crescent shapes.

Arthur began thrusting his fingers in and out, fucking her with them at a fast pace while the heel of his palm was grinding against her clit. Her hips were moving with him and, while unintentional, her lower back was rubbing against his cock, forcing it to press firmly between their bodies and providing him with just enough friction that made him ache for more.

“Arthur—baby—oh, god, yes,” she moaned just as he added a third finger, crooking them and beckoning her toward the edge from the inside.

Nora’s legs were soon trembling as she kept trying to grind herself against his hand, her hips wiggling from the stimulation as she grew closer to her climax. He could feel her pussy tightening and he sped up with how fast he was fucking her with his fingers—as much as he could from the angle he was at, anyway—while his teeth latched onto another spot on her shoulder that seemed to send her straight over the edge, keening and moaning his name.

The Elder released her from his bite. “There you go, baby,” he purred. “Fuck, you sound so good screaming my name.”

As she rode her orgasm out, he fingered her through it, but the moment her hand grabbed his wrist to signal she was growing too sensitive, he stopped and slowly slid the digits free from her cunt to give her a few moments to rest with her head tipped back onto his shoulder while she panted. Soft kisses were pressed to her skin while she regained herself and the hand that had been between her legs moments ago was now instead at her other breast, both palming and squeezing and groping.

“Baby?” she whispered after a few moments.

“Hm?”

“Fuck me?”

The request was a quiet one and it nearly made him moan from how good she sounded. Arthur removed his hands from her chest and instead wrapped one arm around her midsection while he shifted them lower down the mattress, keeping her pressed firmly against him. Soon enough, he was lying on his back with her atop him, her back to his chest. Grabbing a pillow, he placed it beneath his head just before he reached down and beneath her thigh to guide his cock into her.

Like usual, it was a slow back-and-forth movement when he pushed into her even though he’d stretched her out; and when he was finally hilted with his hips flush against her ass, he remained still to allow her time to adjust. His hands went back to her breasts, grabbing both and roughly palming them while he turned his face to press his nose and lips against her cheek since her head was just slightly turned. Nora’s arms raised, one hand threading fingers into his hair while the other grabbed the sheets beneath them, clenching the fabric into the palm of her fist.

“Mm. You are so sexy, Nora,” he purred against her before pressing a soft kiss to where his lips were touching her cheek. “How did I get so lucky?”

“Maybe you don’t know what ‘luck’ is,” she retorted, but Arthur growled at her negativity before pulling his hips back just a bit and then thrusting up against her roughly. The vaultie yelped at the suddenness of it going from nothing to roughness, catching her off guard.

“Do I need to teach you a lesson, pet?”

“No, Sir,” she breathed.

“Good. Now, put your feet on my thighs,” he ordered as he bent his knees. With her legs elevated, it gave him better leverage to thrust into her since his feet were planted on the bed; and when he started fucking up into her, Nora lifted her hips up a little, allowing him to pull out more and thrust up harder to where his hips clapped against her ass each time.

His vault dweller became a moaning mess above him, her hand gripping his hair while her other released the bedsheets and instead went to one of his on her breast, cupping the back of it so their fingers aligned. But his free one released her other breast and snaked down between her legs, fingers rubbing her clit in rough, fast circles as he fucked her.

“Oh, fuck,” she moaned, her legs jerking just before they started trembling; he could feel her tightening around him, her cunt pulsing and threatening to tip her over into her orgasm.

“Come on, baby. Let me hear you scream. Cum around my thick cock.”

Nora tipped over the edge fairly quickly, keening his name just like before, and he moaned from how tight she became during her orgasm. His thrusts grew rougher and his fingers kept rubbing her clit to help her ride it out, but when she closed her legs around his hand, he pulled it away.

“Baby,” she whispered; he grunted in acknowledgement and slowed his thrusts. “Can I ride you?”

The request was something he’d never decline—having her atop him and riding his dick. Why would he ever deny her that? “Yes,” he purred before releasing her and helping her sit up. Nora lifted her hips and slipped him out of her, his cock falling heavily against his stomach before she turned around on top of him so she was facing him instead. Arthur lifted his dick back up for her and watched as she sank back down on him again with a low moan.

She leaned forward as his hands went to her thighs, her lips pressing against his in a passionate kiss while her own hands found his face, fingers threading into his beard. Her body moved like a wave, back bowing and arching as the movement traveled down through her abdomen and into her hips until she was grinding against his groin, providing friction onto her clit until she slid back a little and started the process all over again.

Their lips remained together as she kept going, grinding herself on him, and Arthur soon felt that familiar heat coiling deep in his belly and at the base of his spine, warning him that he was growing close to reaching his end already—and it was no wonder because seeing and feeling his wife atop him like this was enough to make _anyone_ cum quickly.

Not to mention the immense amount of intimacy in the air from how slow she was riding him and how passionately she was kissing him.

He could feel her tightening around him, the friction she was getting from rubbing down against his groin likely doing enough for her clit to start working her toward the edge. As soon as her legs were beginning to tremble on either side of his body, her movements faltering just a little so they were less fluid, Arthur slid his hands up to her hips and started helping her move along in that same rhythm, wanting to pull her toward her climax to help her cum.

But there was a problem—the heat in his belly and at the base of his spine was growing and growing, and it was hot and heavy at this point as he was close; closer than her. Nora was going to outlast him at this point, he was pretty sure, even though he could feel her pulsing around him, getting closer and closer to the edge. 

Arthur tried to hold back when the time came, he really did, but the feeling of her atop him like this and how her hips remained glued to his, how he could feel her stomach rub against him with each grind forward, how her nails roughly dragged down his chest and left behind red streaks, he was sent over the edge. A low groan rumbled from his chest and against her lips and she eagerly devoured it, kissing him deeper, her tongue swiping along his bottom lip. Her hips started to slow, likely so she didn’t make him sensitive, but he knew she was close—he’d be fine a little longer even though he came.

“Keep going,” he mumbled against her, his hands pushing and pulling her hips to encourage her to return to that same pace. He’d stay hard inside her so long as that stimulation was still going even though he wouldn’t be able to cum again just yet. It was uncomfortable and grew even more and more uncomfortable the longer it went on, but he’d let her keep grinding on him for the next hour if that’s what it took to get her off.

Cum was leaking out of her, slowly sliding down his cock with each grind forward she made, dripping down his balls in rivulets and he knew he’d have to make her lick his spend off him once they were done. She knew none of his cum went to waste—it either stayed in her pussy or it went in her mouth, nowhere else.

Thankfully, though, it only took another minute for her to cum, her cunt spasming around his cock as she broke the kiss just slightly while she moaned against him. Arthur reached up and wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, pulling her back down and against his lips again, devouring her moans just as she had done his. When she came to a full stop, he sighed against her lips, his cock slowly going soft inside her now that there was no more stimulation.

Nora’s hands slowly slid up and down his chest and stomach, fingers threading through the dark expanse of hair. Her nails gently scratched along his skin, one hand even going toward his side—he immediately _recoiled._

Arthur nearly threw her off him, but he grabbed her wrist, instead, as they stopped kissing, their faces remaining close when he pulled her hand away from him. And once he realized what happened—once they _both_ realized what happened—they froze and sat there in silence for a few long moments.

“… Are you… ticklish?” she finally asked, her voice quiet.

_”No.”_ It was a lie and she knew it; he’d answered much too quickly while his voice almost had an edge of guilt in it like he was hiding something.

He was too slow to catch her other hand as it darted from his stomach to his side, nails dragging along the skin and making him jerk away from her touch again, now in the opposite direction—and this time he actually _did_ throw her off, though it was unintentional.

But it wasn’t onto the mattress. It was onto the floor—a complete accident—and she hit the ground with a heavy _thud._

Arthur’s eyes grew wide as he rolled over to look down at her while she laid on the ground. “Shit, Nora, are you—” he started, attempting to ask if she was alright, but she was just… laughing.

“Oh, my god, Arthur, you’re _that_ ticklish? How did it take me this long to find out?”

Great. Just great.

══════════════════

“Elder Maxson, thank you for joining us.”

“Of course. It is my honor and duty to stand before the Council today.” Yet again, meaningless words that made him want to cut out his tongue. How many more times in his life would he repeat them?

“We last spoke three months ago and you have now been married to the vault dweller, Nora Parker, for six months. Is this correct?” Elder Bael asked.

Arthur was used to this sort of questioning – the type where the interviewer already knows the answers but has to ask for the sole purpose of _’being on the record.’_ But when it came to the Elder Council and these meetings, he wasn’t sure if there even was an _‘on the record’_ because the Council didn’t seem to go by rules and regulations, specifically with High Elder Sanders absent.

Still, he never looked forward to these meetings because he always knew what they were about, and he certainly didn’t want to keep having this same fucking conversation over and over again.

“That is correct, yes,” he confirmed.

“Your wife has been receiving pregnancy tests every two weeks but there hasn’t been a single positive result. We’re wondering why that is? Are you still trying to conceive?” Bael asked.

“Yes, we are.”

“Then why hasn’t she gotten pregnant yet?” Hardin snapped, butting in.

Maxson turned his attention to the eldest man in the room; he’d hoped it would take a little longer for Hardin to speak, but it seemed the older man was antsy and ready to get this moving. “As I said the last time we spoke, Elder Hardin, these things take time. We have been trying, but—”

“I don’t believe you’ve actually been trying,” Hardin interrupted. “Maxson heirs are vital to the Brotherhood, so if you are not willing to conceive, then you must inform us so we can take the necessary steps—but lying about it is unacceptable.”

“I never said I was unwilling to conceive,” Arthur hissed. “I have specifically stated numerous times that we are attempting but have not had any luck yet. But with all due respect, Elder Hardin, I have grown tired of your accusations.”

Bael sighed heavily and loudly as if he was growing irritated of the bickering. “Elder Maxson, please,” he said, like Arthur was the one at fault. “Elder Hardin has a point. There is no proof that you and your wife are actually trying to conceive, especially when we continue to get negative test results for pregnancy.”

Suspicion set in as Arthur’s eyebrows furrowed while he tried to look at the three men across the room, but that _bright fucking light_ still kept him from seeing much. This was outrageous. “What sort of _proof_ do you want?”

“As we said last time, we would need to intervene if the pregnancy tests continued to come up negative. And since that is the case, we, as the Elder Council, discussed how to get involved,” Bael explained.

No, something was wrong with this. Gunny hadn’t spoken yet and Arthur could almost _feel_ Hardin’s eyes on him and some sort of smug expression filling the room. It was uncomfortable. It was so fucking uncomfortable.

And it was a red fucking flag.

Did they expect him to respond, though? Because it got quiet and he just waited for them to continue—waited for them to tell him what they had planned, what they were going to do with this ‘intervention’ in his marriage when it came to he and his wife trying to have children.

Then it all came crashing down.

“With a 2-1 vote,” Hardin began; there was a hint of something in his voice—_joy,_ maybe? Excitement?—but the young Elder wasn’t entirely sure what it was, “We have decided to ensure you are attempting to conceive by observing the act.”

Wait, what?

Did he hear that correctly?

No, he couldn’t have heard that correctly.

“I’m… sorry?” Arthur asked quietly, needing clarification because he certainly must have misheard what Hardin had said.

“I said we’re going to observe the act to ensure you and your wife are actually trying to conceive. We will set up a time and place for this to happen, that way we can—”

“You expect me to fuck my wife in front of you?” Maxson asked with disbelief.

“Ah… that is a bit, uh, crass,” Hardin began, “But—”

“That’s _exactly_ what they want,” Gunny interrupted, finally stepping into the conversation. It was about time, but at least the man’s words told Arthur who the dissenting vote was—though he could have easily guessed, regardless. “It’s disgusting and they should be ashamed of themselves.”

This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t; it was un-_fucking_-believable—

Wait… there were only three votes, which meant the Elder Council voted without the High Elder, and Arthur knew for sure that Sanders would have voted alongside Gunny.

“And what about High Elder Sanders? Where was his vote on this?” he asked.

“You know what his vote would have been, Arthur, but they did not wait because High Elder Sanders won’t be back to the Citadel for quite some time. The Brotherhood is determined to have a Maxson heir,” Gunny explained. “No matter what.”

Arthur stood, the scraping of his chair across the floor nearly echoing in the room; he ran a hand over his mouth as he began pacing near the door. “This is unbelievable. I—I can’t—you just—I can’t believe you expect me to _fuck my wife_ in front of you. With a goddamn _audience!”_ he scoffed. “And what, exactly, will you do if I refuse?”

“You can refuse,” Hardin answered. “But you do not want to be the only Maxson—the _last_ Maxson—who refuses to provide an heir, because that is how the people will take it. That is how the entire _Brotherhood_ will take it.”

“You mean that’s how you‘ll spin the narrative,” he growled. There was no reply and the silence was deafening, but it spoke more words than all of them had said thus far combined. Arthur shook his head, scoffing once more before walking out.

══════════════════

“A _bedding ceremony!?_ That’s what you sick fucks want!?” Nora had stormed into the Great Hall where the Elder Council was still at work, sitting at the round desk, Bael and Hardin occasionally speaking amongst themselves about other matters while Gunny kept to himself, remaining silent.

At least until the small vault dweller charged in.

“Mrs. Maxson,” Hardin said as he stood, his fists planted on the table in a similar fashion to Teagan when the proctor attempted to intimidate Nora after having stolen crops from her settlements. It never worked—Nora always fought back; and she’d fight back now, too, even as Arthur entered the room behind her. “I suggest you keep your voice down unless you want the entire Citadel to know what is expected and requested of you and your husband by the Council.”

“You think I don’t want the rest of the Citadel to know how fucking perverted you are? I _hope_ they know, and I _hope_ you get removed from the Council because of this. You’re fucking disgusting. What the hell is wrong with you!?”

“There is nothing wrong with us, Mrs. Maxson. We are simply trying to solidify the future of the Brotherhood by ensuring there are Maxson heirs; so, if you and your husband aren’t doing your _jobs,”_ Hardin hissed, “Then we must get involved to change that.”

“Oh, okay. So, rather than believing that we actually have sex at least once a day, like he told you, your next step is to make us fuck in front of you so that you can beat your meat to it later? Yeah, that makes total sense, you old fucking pervert.”

Hardin flubbed at her words before his face was set into a hard glare—Arthur knew where this was going. “Change your tone and speak to the Elder Council respectfully or I will have you held in contempt for the remainder of the day, Mrs. Maxson.”

Nora snorted at the threat. “You think I’ve never been in jail before? You think your threat means a damn thing to me? I was a fucking _lawyer_ and an _anti-war activist._ Fucking try me, dickbag.”

Being on the other side of the bright light meant Arthur could finally see the reactions of the three men as Nora tore into them. Gunny, as expected, had his head in his hands—though he’d been the only one to vote against the proposal, he still clearly felt shame. Bael sat with his back straight as he watched Nora carefully but held no expression on his face, at least not that Arthur could tell; then again, Maxson never was great at reading expressions. Hardin, on the other hand, was red-faced and looked _furious._

And Arthur wasn’t about to stop his wife.

No, if they thought a sort of bedding ceremony was the next step to ensuring a Maxson heir, then they’d have to go through Nora—and Arthur knew better than anyone she didn’t pull punches nor take prisoners when she fought. She may not have been the best at shooting and certainly not when it came to hand-to-hand combat, plus she was clumsier than a behemoth, but his pint-sized wife had the unique ability to tower over every man and woman in the Citadel and even Liberty Prime itself when it came to how she made her presence known. Nora was able to make men like Danse and Maxson seem insignificant and small despite both of them having at least a foot of height on her; it was like a super power.

And it was no different with Hardin.

The eldest man on the Council stood about five inches taller than Nora’s five-feet two-inch frame, nowhere near towering over her at Arthur’s entire foot of height difference, and yet there was no way he could brush her off. Even Bael, who hadn’t risen to his feet but stood nearly as tall as Danse, almost seemed cautious around her by not tearing his eyes away. Not threatened, perhaps, but not letting his guard down, either. Nora was sometimes a ticking time bomb with legs and both men—no, all _three_ men—seemed to realize it at the exact same time.

Just as they seemed to realize Arthur was not going to stop her from blowing them to pieces.

“You’re all fucking _disgusting,”_ she snarled, her attention now set on Bael. He wasn’t giving her what she wanted: a reaction. Gunny was showing shame and Hardin was angry, but Bael? Bael was just staring straight at her, emotionless. Arthur wondered if that was how he used to stare at her, too, and if that was why she grew so frustrated with him in the beginning. “If you think we’re doing this, then you’ve got another thing—”

_”That’s enough!”_ Hardin snapped, and Nora turned her gaze to him. 

Her eyes were filled with fury, but Arthur didn’t need to see them to know that. He could _feel_ it, and she had every right to be enraged.

“Either you agree to the terms or Arthur will be the first Maxson to never make it to the Council, let alone to High Elder. It will go on record that neither of you cooperated with Council requests and that you are not seeking to conceive _despite_ our repeated meetings about it, _despite_ how Elder Maxson has _lied_ about trying, and _despite_ how he is the last of the Maxson line. If you are truly trying to conceive, then you have nothing to hide. But for all we know, Elder Maxson is simply not interested in women at all and you are his cover—”

_”Hardin!”_ Gunny hissed.

“—Or _you_ are hiding something from us. Or both. But trust me when I say this, Mrs. Maxson: Arthur’s past promiscuity with men has been noticed by the Council but conveniently ignored.”

Arthur felt his chest tighten. While he’d never advertised it, he’d also never completely hidden his sexuality before—he liked both men _and_ women—but right now, part of him wished he’d kept himself hidden. It had come to bite him in the ass, and Hardin would use it to spin whatever narrative he could. 

”Now,” Hardin continued, “Do you want these suspicions and accounts to go on the record about _both_ of you? Or do you want to cooperate?”

He could see Nora’s jaw tense as she stared Hardin down, but the room went silent. It was deafening, and Arthur thought about speaking, about intervening, about trying to calm her, but this was her fight just as much as it was his, if not more. Her privacy was more valuable to him than his own and he would do whatever he could to ensure she had it. 

Plus, he needed to regroup and think before he jumped back in; he knew better than to start screaming and yelling before he’d had a chance to consider all the options of how he could handle the situation. 

When she released a shaky exhale, Arthur knew where they’d landed, and he stepped forward to gently place his hand on the small of her back. “Let’s go,” he said to her quietly. “Let’s go back to the room.”

She shook her head, refusing, but his arm around her midsection coaxed her to walk with him—

Nora spit at Hardin. “You’re a piece of fucking shit, Hardin,” she snarled, nearly baring her teeth before she turned and walked with her husband. Arthur shot the three Elders a glare before leaving with his wife to return to the privacy of their room—the one place they were safe.

At one point in their relationship, Maxson had thought Nora to be a tempest—a storm with high-speed winds that threatened to tear him down and destroy everything he knew and understood. She had the strength to obliterate anyone and everyone who got in her way whether she realized it or not, though he was certain she knew. But he’d discovered long ago he was wrong about that comparison; Nora was not a tempest, but a hurricane; a radiated hurricane who’d unleashed the first half of her storm on the Council. And now, as they thought it was over because the skies were clear and the atmosphere was calm, she was drawing them straight into the eyewall where the strongest of the cyclone hid, tricking them into believing she was done and that they were safe.

But his wife was far from done with the Elder Council and they were not safe from her—not by a long shot.


	4. Bedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you sure you want to do this, love?”
> 
> She nodded. “Yeah. Let’s just—let’s just get it over with.”
> 
> “Alright,” he said with a sigh. “Just like we talked about, yeah?”
> 
> “Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> December 6, 2288
> 
> CW: this chapter contains non-consensual voyeurism (dub con at best)

“Arthur—_oh, god.”_

His ring and middle finger pumped in and out of her as they rubbed against that hidden patch of nerves deep inside her each time they slid past, the pads petting and stroking and repeatedly tapping on the spot while he beckoned her toward the edge. Nora’s hips refused to remain still, her back arching as she reached down to grab his hand that was resting flat on her stomach, her other one latching onto a fistful of his hair.

Leaning down, he dragged the flat of his tongue along her clit before briefly sucking it into his mouth, allowing the sensitive bud to roll between his lips momentarily, only to release it so he could lap at it over and over and over.

“Oh, _fuck!”_ his wife keened, her back arching even more; Arthur made a low noise against her clit, the vibrations running through her and he felt her shudder in response.

A third finger was added, stretching her open further, and she gasped above him; he crooked all three then, continuing the motions he’d been doing moments before, and sucked her clit back into his mouth. His tongue ran along the sensitive bud as he felt her growing closer to her orgasm, her pussy tightening around his fingers and her legs trembling on either side of his head—and when paired with her breathy moans and verbal cues, he knew she was about to tip over the edge.

“Arthur, I’m—I’m gonna—oh, god—I’m gonna cum.”

The Elder made another noise around her clit and that seemed to be all it took to push her into her climax, a loud moan that encased his name finally escaping her lips as her back bowed while she came undone around his fingers. He helped her ride it out by fingering her through it, and only when she released his hair just so she could start pushing at the top of his head did he finally pull the digits free from her cunt and his mouth away from her clit to give her a chance to relax.

Soft kisses were pressed to the inside of her thighs as he remained where he was between her legs while he waited for her to catch her breath and regain herself, and as soon as her eyes opened and she met his gaze, the look in them told him they weren’t done yet. She wanted more.

“Fuck me,” she whispered.

Damnit.

“You know I can’t, Nora,” he said with a sigh as he crawled up her body, his own settling atop hers without putting too much of his weight on her. Earlier, she’d stripped him down to nothing but his underwear, so when his hips slotted between her thighs, she wrapped her legs around him to pull him against her, forcing him to grind his cock into her through the cloth; he was _throbbing_ and _aching_ for her. “I would love to fuck you right now—I’m _dying_ to get my dick in you—but if I cum, then it’ll take longer for me to cum later and we don’t want to be there any longer than we have to.”

Nora sighed in defeat. “Yeah,” she conceded, biting her bottom lip. The vaultie grew quiet for a moment, thinking; but he should have known better—she never gave up so easily. “But… what if you don’t cum?”

“What?”

“If you fuck me now, it’ll be stretching me better and it might help you cum faster later if you deny yourself an orgasm, too.”

He didn’t like the idea—he hated the idea, really. Arthur despised delaying and denying his own orgasms; and while he did it to Nora plenty of times—they both definitely enjoyed it—he didn’t find it enjoyable when it happened to _him._ Unless it was to extend their session. But then again… she did have a point.

“I don’t—” he started, but before he could even try to refuse the suggestion, her lips were on his throat, followed by her teeth, right along the line where he shaved his beard. It was one of the very few weak spots on his body and she knew that, which was why she took advantage of it whenever she was trying to get her way—like now.

“Please, baby,” she whispered against his neck before she started peppering bites from the column of his throat straight to just beneath his ear—yet another weak spot. “Please, Arthur. Please fuck me. I want your cock in me so bad—”

Damn this woman.

But who was he to deny her when her teeth had started marking up his throat and her voice was husky and _begging_ in his ear as she was grinding herself against him?

“Goddamnit, Nora,” he growled as he sat back on his knees and pushed his underwear off. “You’ll be the death of me one day, I hope you know that,” he grumbled. Arthur guided her legs up while his wife grinned triumphantly, her hands wrapping around her thighs, just beneath the backs of her knees.

“It’ll be a good death—_oh!”_

He positioned himself, but rather than easing in with a back-and-forth movement like usual, he pushed in with a steady, constant, slow one. Nora’s back arched and her body tensed as she moaned, and his hands went to her knees, pushing her legs further apart so her thighs were closer to the bed as he held them open just as he started thrusting. And he didn’t start off easy, either—didn’t test the waters to see what she could handle because he knew she didn’t need it right now; instead, he immediately started fucking her roughly, forcing her body to jerk up and down the bed each time their hips connected.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” she mewled.

_”Mmmshit,_ Nora,” Arthur groaned, his hips clapping against her as he leaned forward a little, watching as her breasts swayed with each thrust. “You’re so damn sexy. Look at your fucking tits.” One of his hands left her knee and went to her breast, grabbing and squeezing and palming before he released it and then abruptly brought his fingers down onto it, smacking it as it swayed. Nora quietly cried out and only then did he allow that same hand to slip down between her legs, his palm pressing to her mound and his thumb finding her clit to rub it in quick, rough circles—but her legs were already trembling at that point.

“Oh, god, Arthur. Oh, fuck. I’m so close, baby,” she moaned.

“Yeah, that’s it, pet,” Maxson panted. “Let me feel you cum around my cock.”

His words must have done it for her—she enjoyed his dirty talk, that much was clear since the very first time they’d been sexual—because just as soon as he spoke, Nora’s eyes rolled up and she closed them, her head falling back against the bed as she tipped over the edge while screaming his name, her body tensing beneath him.

The tightness around his cock was intense and he couldn’t help the low moan that rumbled from his chest, though he followed it up with praise for her climax. “Good girl,” he panted.

Arthur pulled his thumb away from her clit as soon as her hips jerked from sensitivity and he leaned down over her more, slowing his thrusts just a little as his mouth met one of her breasts. He sucked some of the skin between his lips and bit at it until he was satisfied that he’d left a nice, dark bruise, and only then did he release her before moving on to another spot and doing the same.

Nora’s fingers threaded into his hair as he gave her chest attention and he left behind numerous marks before finally pulling away, sitting back up onto his knees. His hands went to her hips then, her legs being forced to rest in the crooks of his elbows, which allowed him to drive into her harder once he picked the pace back up; and the position seemed to be just right that he didn’t even need to touch her clit to get her coming again.

“Oh—oh fuck—fuck—don’t stop—” she breathed, the words growing louder with each one. _”Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod!”_

“Come on, baby,” he urged, feeling that same familiar heat coiling deep in his own belly, warning him that he was getting close to coming, himself. “Cum for me again. One more time.”

Something was different with this orgasm, though, because when she looked at him, her eyes were wide and the noise she made was more intense than he’d ever heard from her before. Nora’s body writhed beneath him, her legs straining against his arms until her feet were planted on the mattress, her hips raising a little, which kept him from fucking her as deep. Her moans were loud but breathier than usual and he could feel her tightening around him—it was almost fucking _painful_—as she came, and the only thing he could even do was force her legs back up so he could push in as deep as possible, fucking her hard through her orgasm as it lasted longer than usual.

“Fuck, Nora,” he moaned, his thrusts beginning to falter as he was nearing his end. “I’m gonna cum soon, baby. I gotta pull out.”

“N-not yet. Please. It’s—I’m gonna—_oh, god_—I’m gonna cum again!” she mewled.

_“Fuck.”_ Glancing down between them, Arthur could see streaks of her cum along his shaft each time he pumped himself in and out, and it only pushed him closer and closer to the edge. He was _right there;_ he knew he wouldn’t be able to last much longer. “Nora, I can’t—I can’t hold it anymore.”

“Okay,” she breathed.

Immediately, Arthur pulled out with a low groan, his hand dropping to his cock so his thumb and forefinger could wrap around the base, squeezing tightly to stave off his orgasm. Thankfully, he didn’t cum, but one look between his wife’s legs allowed him to see that her cunt was _pulsing_ after he’d left her empty and on the edge.

“Arthur,” she whined, her hips flexing into the air, seeking stimulation.

Once he felt his orgasm drift, Maxson shifted on his knees a bit before reaching forward, grabbing her hips again but this time yanking her body to position her a bit differently, allowing him to be more to the side instead of directly between her legs. One hand then reached down, and his ring and middle finger sunk into her pussy like before, all the way to the last knuckle. Nora gasped, and the moment he crooked his fingers and found that bundle of nerves inside her, she _keened._

Usually, he’d have pressed his thumb to her clit and rubbed it while he fingered her, but he wasn’t doing it this time; instead, he avoided touching that sensitive area, giving her only the two fingers that were buried inside her pussy even as she begged him to give her clit attention while trying to grind against his palm.

“Baby,” she whined again. “Touch my clit. Please.”

“No,” he said quietly, watching as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and frustration.

Without giving her another second to dwell on it, however, Arthur started moving his arm at a rapid pace, forcing his fingers in and out of her quickly and keeping them crooked so they repeatedly hit that sensitive spot inside her over and over again. And having his fingers angled just right, it sent her over the edge quicker than he’d ever seen her cum before.

And it was fucking _wet._

His wife’s legs drew up toward her chest and her toes curled, her hands clenching the bed sheets beneath her as she came with a loud scream—and she came _hard._ Her eyes rolled back, jaw agape while her cunt clenched around his fingers and he could see as her cum _leaked_ from her because of how his fingers were moving, forcing it out so it spilled down her body and onto the bed; but he didn’t let up, even as she grabbed onto his arm to try to stop him while her legs closed around his hand and her body twisted, attempting to get away from and halt the sensation that was likely becoming a bit too much.

But Arthur just used his free hand to pry her legs back open even as she rolled onto her side, his fingers still moving inside her cunt and hitting that bundle of nerves over and over—and from how rough and fast he was fucking her with them, her slick and cum were just _splashing_ out of her, coating his hand and wrist, as well as the outside of her pussy and the inside of her thighs; and the sound of how wet she was and how it was just getting everywhere was so damn _loud._

“Arthur!” she yelped. “Too much! _Toomuchtoomuchtoomuchtoomuch!”_

“Come on, pet,” he growled, pressing harder into that sweet spot and twisting his wrist a little as he kept pumping his arm. “You can take it. Cum for me one more time.”

“No, no, no, I can’t! Please!” she begged.

Nora tried to move away from him again, this time rolling onto her stomach, but he grabbed her hip and pulled her back, lifting her ass into the air just enough to give him access as he kept going. His hand was roughly pounding against her as he felt her pulsing around his fingers again, her body threatening to tip over the edge once more.

“Yes, you can, Nora. One more time. Come on, baby. Cum for me.”

When she finally peaked, she screamed his name as her body tensed and her pussy clenched around his fingers once again—but she didn’t expect him to pull his fingers out and quickly rub them against her clit, which sent her body jolting straight forward from sensitivity.

“Fuck yes, there you go. Look at that, you’re fucking _dripping.”_

Her entire body was trembling, and when he pulled his hand away from her, she seemed to relax from relief—but that relaxation went away as soon as he shoved his cock back into her and immediately started pounding against her ass while he fucked her.

Arthur pulled her hips up a little more, giving himself more leverage and allowing his hands to grip onto her ass cheeks, pushing them forward and spreading her for him. Nora’s own hands were clenching the sheets beneath her as her screams had quieted down into something that was more of a constant noise that sounded like she was out of breath, or maybe that she was already fucked out. And wouldn’t that be nice—his wife already fucked out before they had to go about the rest of their day.

“Fuck, Nora,” he moaned. “You’re so fucking wet, so fucking _tight._ Fuck, I wanna cum in you so bad.”

The noise she made was one of acknowledgement, but it sounded like that was all she could really even do at the moment, nothing more.

That was unacceptable.

_”Mmm._ Maybe tomorrow I’ll fuck your tight ass. What do you think?”

She released a low moan and nodded her head against the mattress. “Yes, Sir,” she breathed.

Slowing his thrusts, he leaned his head forward just a little before he spit straight down in front of him, a glob of saliva landing right down onto her ass crack; Nora startled as it hit her skin but relaxed a moment later, her eyes glancing back at him as she heard his thumb pop free from his mouth; but as soon as she _felt_ it guiding his saliva down her ass, she whined.

“You’re fine,” he murmured. Arthur’s hips stopped moving as he pressed his thumb against her hole, gently pushing, pushing, pushing until he was finally pushing _in_—and she let out another whine. “Don’t whine, Nora. It’s just my thumb.”

“Sorry, Sir,” she whispered.

Raising his eyes to her face, he took a moment to admire how she looked—his wife had gone into subspace and it was such a beautiful sight to see. She didn’t always fall into it but when she did, it never mattered if they were doing anything heavy; sometimes it just _happened._

Maxson pushed his thumb in to the first knuckle but that was as far as he went before he started fucking her again, slamming his hips against her like before to try to bring her to the edge; and he felt her tightening around him soon enough, her moans growing louder and egging him on to fuck her harder. As soon as he felt her start to cum, though, he pulled his thumb from her ass and put his hand in the middle of her upper back, fingers splayed, and pushed her further into the mattress while he leaned over her to put more force behind his thrusts.

But he found himself growing close very quickly and had to pull out without warning, his thumb and forefinger gripping around the base of his cock as he panted, trying to stave off his orgasm for the second time. Nora remained where she was, breathing heavily, her body nearly trembling beneath him as she was sated—at least for now. His wife was never sated for long, and that was something he loved about her since it meant she was able to keep up with him, whether it came to how rough he wanted to be or how often he wanted to fuck.

Arthur took a few moments to catch his breath before he leaned down, both hands planted on the bed on either side of her body as his lips pressed gentle kisses to the back of her shoulder blade. “You’re a very good girl,” he purred against her.

“Thank you, Sir,” she whispered.

“Do you want me to make you cum again?”

Nora quickly shook her head and he couldn’t help but grin. “No. Please.”

“Mm, very well. Let’s get you cleaned up then, yeah? I’ll take care of you. I always do, right?”

“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.”

══════════════════

The Elder Council had chosen a spare room to perform the, ah, _’intervention’_ in. It was spacious, providing enough room for three chairs—undoubtedly where the Council would sit. The bed was against the wall, thankfully, which meant he could keep Nora from looking in their direction, hopefully long enough to keep her from panicking so they could just get it over and done with until the next time.

The vaultie was quiet beside him, her hand in his and their fingers laced together as anxiety leaked from her pores so heavily that he could almost _taste_ it.

“Elder Maxson,” a familiar voice greeted; he turned his attention to see Bael entering the room, followed by Hardin and then Gunny.

Arthur just gave a slight nod of the head; and while that usually would have been pegged as disrespect, the three men seemed to let it slide this time. Perhaps it was due to understanding that he and his wife didn’t want to be in this situation.

Good, they should understand—this entire thing was fucked up.

He felt Nora bury her face against his arm and he could only turn and pull her into his chest, holding her comfortingly, though he knew there was no real comfort he could give her at this point. She didn’t deserve this and part of him wished he’d fought her harder when she’d said they should just agree to the ‘intervention’; she was worried about his future, and if the Council was going to fuck with anything, it’d be that, bloodline be damned. Still, he should have put his foot down and told her they weren’t doing it regardless. This wasn’t what she signed up for when she agreed to marry him.

“Whenever you are ready, you may begin,” Hardin said; and it was only then Maxson realized the three men had taken their seats, unsurprisingly in the same order they sat in the Great Hall. Gunny was on one end with his head in his hands again, looking horrified and ashamed—rightfully so. Hardin was in the middle though his expression was almost excited. And Bael, who was on the other end, looked almost uninterested; then again, that was how he always looked.

Looking down to Nora, he gently tugged her away from his chest. “Are you sure you want to do this, love?” he asked quietly, only loud enough for her to hear while his hands lifted to cup her jaw.

She nodded. “Yeah. Let’s just—let’s just get it over with.”

“Alright,” he said with a sigh. Arthur leaned down and kissed her softly before leading her over to the bed. “Just like we talked about, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Turning his back to the where the Council Elders sat, Nora moved in front of him with her back against his chest and he reached around her body to unbutton and unzip her pants; soft kisses were placed to the side of her neck as he did, and he nudged her toward the bed once they were undone. She climbed onto it and laid down on her stomach, Arthur following to where he was behind her on his knees. He lifted her hips up to the height he needed them to be at before undoing his own pants—it was easier and more comfortable for them both if he wore jeans rather than the Elder’s robes or a flightsuit—and pushed them and his underwear down to mid-thigh; from there, he slid his wife’s pants and underwear down to bare only enough for what he needed to get the job done.

It didn’t matter to him if the Council saw his body or his cock; he’d been seen naked plenty of times and had no real shame or shyness when it came to that. But Nora? Nora was a different story. It wasn’t really that he didn’t want others to see her as much as it was _she_ didn’t want others to see her, and so he respected her privacy by blocking her body from view as much as he could with his own, even if just part of her ass and part of her cunt were the only things that would be bare.

The vaultie kept her chest against the mattress and her face turned toward the wall, and Arthur could see her eyes were tightly closed. He placed a hand on the small of her back, gently stroking along her spine as his other hand went down between them to stroke his cock so he could get himself hard. And because of the stress of the situation, it took a little longer than usual, but as soon as he was hard, he positioned himself—yet stopped before going any further.

“Are you ready?” he asked her quietly. When she nodded her head, that was when he started pushing in.

Stretching her out earlier by fingering her and even fucking her had been a good idea, that was for certain, as it meant he had to spend less time easing in and could sink into her balls-deep in one fluid motion. The feeling of being inside her never got old and never felt any less incredible, and just as he let out a low moan from burying himself in her cunt, Nora’s body tensed and moved forward slightly as she gasped and echoed the same noise he made.

He gave her a few moments to relax—though it was more symbolic than anything since she wouldn’t need to adjust to his girth—before his hand went to her hips, holding her still as he started thrusting. The pace he set was moderate, not very hard or fast but also not gentle or slow, either, as he wanted them to just get it over with as soon as possible, but he also didn’t want her to become uncomfortable with the fact he made her loud when he took her roughly.

The clapping of his hips against her ass was decently noisy, however, and he so badly wanted to fuck her much harder; and he would have, too, if it weren’t for the Council being in the room—and _because_ of the Council being right there, watching and observing, Arthur had to keep an eye on his wife’s breathing since that would tell him if she was going to panic. Nora had anxiety and panicked easily when it came to stressful situations, so he knew she was prone to doing exactly that here—and he’d try to avoid it or stop it if he could.

But focusing on so many things at once rather than just on finding his own orgasm meant he’d likely last longer, too.

So long as she was alright, though, that was what mattered.

Maxson didn’t dare look over to the Council Elders, instead keeping his eyes on the woman beneath him and occasionally glancing down between their bodies to see where they connected. He pulled his shirt up a little to bare some of his stomach, keeping it out of the way, and with his hands on her hips, he was starting to pull her back into each thrust he made.

“Fuck,” he whispered, his breathing already growing heavy.

Nora shifted beneath him, moving to lean on her forearms a little, her chest no longer flush with the mattress though her head was ducked down against it. He released a heavy exhale, fingers digging into the skin at her hips as he started pulling her back into his thrusts as much as he could from the position her body was in. It was… difficult to not speak to her; to not talk to her when he was so used to doing so. But he wasn’t sure if talking to her was a good idea here—would it help? Would it keep her focused? Or would it just make her feel more uncomfortable?

He hadn’t realized his eyes had closed until he felt her shift uncomfortably beneath him, and once his gaze was back on her, he saw how she’d turned her head in the opposite direction—looking right at the Council.

Shit.

Arthur glanced over at the three men. Gunny still wasn’t looking, instead hunched over with his elbows on his knees and his eyes on the ground; Bael was… reading a report rather than paying attention to detail, which was some sort of mercy despite how he was part of the reason for this fucked up situation; but Hardin? Hardin was gleeful and watching intently—and he was doing absolutely _nothing_ to hide the clear erection beneath his robes.

Returning his attention to Nora, Maxson stopped thrusting and leaned over her, placing his hands on the bed on either side of her body—one directly in front of her face so his wrist and forearm blocked off her view from the Council. “Nora,” he whispered, “Turn the other way.”

Her eyes were glassy, and her face was red—her body’s sign that she was ready to start crying and panicking; but she didn’t listen, instead keeping her head turned in the same direction. With a sigh, he shifted one arm beneath her clavicle, lifting her just a bit and grabbing her jaw with that same hand to turn her head the other way, making her face the wall. But by the time he even finished that, she was breaking down; tears were overflowing from her eyelids and her face scrunched up.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he said quietly, keeping his hips flush with her ass but still not moving. Arthur leaned down a bit more, brushing her hair from her face. “You’re okay, baby. Just focus on me. I’ll take care of you when we get back to our room, okay? I promise. You know I always take care of you.”

She nodded her head and sniffled, but he knew his words didn’t mean much, and he knew it didn’t matter how many promises he made to take care of her later because she was still stuck there _now._ But… perhaps there was one way he could help—one way he knew that would keep her focused.

“Do you want to give me your control?” he asked, running his knuckles along her cheekbone.

She nodded again. “Yes, Sir. Please.”

After everything that had happened in her life, she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders that dated all the way back to a prewar Boston, so willingly giving up her control—even if it was just during sex—allowed him to take some of that stress from her and helped her focus on one thing and one thing only: what she was being told to do. Her Dom was all that mattered when she fit into her role as a sub, so obeying him was what she’d focus on; and if that was what his wife needed right now, then so be it.

He’d do whatever necessary to help her through this fucked up situation.

“Okay,” he whispered. “I can do that. It’ll be just like when we’re alone, right? Just you and me.”

Arthur pulled away enough to lean up onto his hands, but just as soon as he did, Nora tried to shift on her elbows again to rest her forehead against the mattress like she had just before she ended up looking in the direction of the Council—but he knew she’d do it again, so he had to stop it before it happened a second time.

“No, no,” he said sharply, one hand lifting off the bed to turn her head back to facing the wall; he then planted his palm on the side of her face, holding her still by leaning some of his weight on her. “Stay right there,” he ordered.

At this point, he no longer cared about keeping his voice down. If the Council heard the way he spoke to her—and the way he _kept_ speaking to her, as well as the things he’d end up saying—then they were more than welcome to address it with him later on. But right now, he needed to get this over and done with so he could take his wife back to their room and take care of her.

Arthur started thrusting again, though this time it was harder than before; his hips clapped against her ass as he fucked her roughly, his breathing picking up against from exertion. His vault dweller was moaning beneath him, one hand having reached up to grab his wrist as he held her head down, the other with fingers wrapped around one of the metal bars of the bedframe even as it creaked with each thrust that he made into her.

“You feel so fucking good, Nora,” he moaned, snapping his hips against her harder for one thrust before returning back to the pace he’d originally set; his wife cried out beneath him and her nails dug into his wrist.

“Arthur,” she breathed, her voice quiet. Fuck, she always sounded good saying his name.

“You like taking my thick cock, Nora?” he asked; she nodded her head. “Say it.”

“I love taking your thick cock, Sir,” she whispered.

He groaned, picking up the pace as he felt heat coiling deep in his belly and at the base of his spine; he was getting close, and he realized that talking to her and treating the situation as if they were alone was helping him along, too.

“Fuck, baby. I’m gonna cum.”

Nora made a whining moan beneath him and angled her hips up more, offering herself to him. Releasing the hold that he had on her head, Maxson pushed himself to his knees again and grabbed her hips, using the leverage of that position to drive into her harder, pulling her back against him with each thrust. Nora was keening, having lost all care about the other men in the room, and instead was fluttering her walls around him, tightening and untightening, urging him to cum. She wasn’t close herself, he could tell just from how she sounded and how she felt, but her intentionally clenching around his cock sent him over the edge.

He fucked into her one, two, three more times before burying himself balls-deep, his hips flush against her ass while he let out a low moan as he came inside her.

They both panted and it took a few moments before he was finally able to regain himself, slowly pulling his cock free from her—she let out a soft moan as he did—until he slipped free, having started to go soft. Immediately, Arthur began pulling her pants up, but a voice from his left made him pause.

“We must ensure you actually finished.”

_Hardin._

Disbelief washed over him as he stared at the Council Elder, every word he wanted to say having just flown out the window. Hell, even Gunny and Bael were looking at the eldest man.

“That is unnecessary,” Bael said in his usual emotionless tone. “We just witnessed it, Hardin. There is no need to—”

Maxson shifted back a little and shoved two fingers inside his wife’s cunt, making her cry out from surprise; when he pulled them out, some of his cum was stuck to his fingers. Holding them up, he touched his thumb to the two fingers and pulled them apart, showing the stringy substance to accentuate his point.

“There, Hardin. Is this what you want to see?” he hissed. “Here’s my cum.” Arthur shook his wrist once, his spend falling free from his fingers and onto the ground before he gave one last glare to the eldest man and turned back to Nora, gently pulling her pants up and resituating them, then doing the same to his own.

The Council was quiet for a few long moments and only once Arthur glanced over at them did he realize they were just sitting there awkwardly, seemingly unsure of what to do now that it was over.

This was fucking ridiculous.

“What more do you want!?” he snarled. “If we’re done, then _get out.”_

Bael cleared his throat and stood, Gunny immediately doing the same. Hardin seemed to hesitate but followed soon after.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Elder Maxson. We will see you next week,” Bael said before all three men left, leaving him and Nora alone.

══════════════════

The water from the shower was lukewarm, though it never really got any hotter than that; and the pressure wasn’t great, either, but it wasn’t any better elsewhere. Still, it was enough, and it seemed to be helping his wife relax as he ran his fingers along her skin.

Arthur stood behind her, his front pressed against her back while his fingertips grazed along her body, slowly moving down her arms and making her shiver. “You were such a good girl,” he quietly praised in her ear, placing a gentle kiss to the side of her head. Nora made a soft noise in return and leaned back against him while he slowly drew the soft touches back up her arms, then down her chest, between her breasts, and to her stomach. “I’m so proud of you, baby.”

“Thank you, Sir,” she whispered.

A soft sigh escaped him, and he placed another kiss to the side of her head. Despite how she seemed to be physically relaxing from the shower and his touches, she was still mentally and emotionally distant, and he knew she wasn’t handling it well. Fuck, he wished he’d fought her more on not doing what the Council wanted because he knew this would happen. Nora had a history of closing down and dissociating when things became too stressful and this was something that he knew could make her do just that. He never should have let it happen.

“How can I help, love?” he asked quietly. “What do you need?”

“I don’t know.”

His arms wrapped around her, one over her chest and the other over her stomach, and he pulled her tightly against his body, holding her in an attempt to comfort her and show her she was safe. “We don’t have to do it again. This isn’t worth it, Nora. Seeing you like this? It’s not worth it at all.”

She turned around in his arms to face him, her eyes glassy as she met his gaze; Arthur held her close with one arm, the other reaching up so he could gently cup her jaw, and she leaned into his touch.

“I want to do this because of the threats they’re leveling against you. You don’t deserve that. It’s just… hard to deal with at first, you know? But it’ll get easier, I think.” Nora nodded her head as if she was trying to convince herself, but he wasn’t sure she succeeded.

“No,” he said, finally putting his foot down. “I don’t care what they do to me. It doesn’t matter—what matters to me is _you,_ and this isn’t—this isn’t good.”

“I would do anything for you, Arthur, and if that means having sex with you in front of some old perverts once a week until I get pregnant, then fine. I’ll do that. Just…” she paused, her eyebrows furrowing as she searched his face. “Just take care of me after, okay?”

Both of his hands cupped her face and he leaned down to gently kiss her, feeling her own hands slide up to his chest, her fingers threading into his chest hair despite the fact it was wet. Once the kiss broke, Arthur rested his forehead against hers, nodding his head just slightly. “I’ll take care of you, love. I always do.”


	5. Possibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We’ve been holding these interventions once per week for the past three months, as well as testing your wife for pregnancy every week, and she has continued to come up negative. We are… concerned, at this point.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> March 25-26, 2289

“Suck harder. Oh, _fuck.”_

Arching his back, Maxson leaned over a little, his hands going to Nora’s breasts as he roughly grabbed them, making the tissue bulge between his fingers from how hard he squeezed; she whined in response beneath him, coaxing a sharp, hissing inhale pulled between the Elder’s teeth.

His wife’s head was between his thighs as he sat on the bed on his knees, one of his balls in her mouth while both of her hands were just above her chest and wrapped around his cock, stroking. “Come on, baby. Get ‘em both in there,” he ordered, reaching down as she opened her mouth wider so he could push both his balls in together, which she then started sucking again; Arthur let out another moan. “That’s it, that’s my girl,” he crooned.

Leaning forward a little more, he reached down between her legs, his fingers finding her clit and rubbing quick, rough circles on it; he didn’t give her that stimulation for long, however, before he pulled his hand away—only to abruptly bring his fingers back down onto her pussy in a sharp _slap_ that had her whining around him again, her legs closing around his hand.

When he sat back on his knees completely, he felt her drag her tongue along his sac, then roll one of his balls along the soft muscle just as the pad of her finger was brushing over the sensitive top of the head of his cock. Almost immediately, he felt himself getting close—but this wasn’t how he wanted to cum.

Grabbing her wrists, he kept her from stroking anymore, pulling her hands away from his cock. “Open your mouth,” he ordered, but she didn’t listen, instead _sucking harder_ while making a slight _’mm-mm’_ noise. “Open your mouth, you little shit,” he growled; Nora just _laughed_ around him while refusing to stop. Groaning, Arthur slowly pulled up, trying to pull away from her, but she tried to go up with him—at least until he had a hand on her throat holding her down. “Damnit, Nora,” he breathed. “You’re so fucking _bad.”_

Once he was finally able to free himself from her mouth with a loud _pop,_ he released a shaky breath. “I should swat your ass for that,” he grumbled, and one glance down to her—where he could only see part of her mouth and lower—told him she was grinning.

“So, you _don’t_ want me to suck your balls, _Sir?”_

“Quiet,” he ordered before reaching down and angling his cock against her lips, having felt that urge to cum dissipate. “You wanna suck something so bad, here you go.”

Of course, his wife eagerly opened her mouth to take him in, and Arthur leaned forward over her once more, planting one hand on the mattress and spreading his legs more so he could thrust down into her mouth.

But after fucking her face like this for a few thrusts, he wasn’t satisfied with the sort of leverage it gave him—it wasn’t enough. She was taking him well, sure, because she knew to swallow when he got close to her gag reflex, but he liked fucking her face hard—they both did—and this wasn’t letting him do that. Besides, she needed to be taught a lesson.

Pulling out, Arthur got off the bed and grabbed her arm while she was lying on her back, dragging her to the edge as she squeaked in surprise; he positioned her to where her head was hanging off the mattress, giving him access to easily fuck her mouth. Quickly, he shoved his cock back in, finding it much easier to thrust this way since it allowed her throat to be more of a straight path, which, ultimately, meant she wasn’t going to gag as much, but it also meant he could fuck her face harder and faster.

Nora grabbed onto his hips, holding tightly while he thrusted into her face, his balls hitting her nose each time he pushed forward—but he soon felt her palms sliding around his body until she was grabbing handfuls of his ass, her nails digging into his skin as he thrusted.

Goddamn this woman.

Whatever. This wasn’t the first time she’d done it and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

“This is always the way we have to go to get you to shut your fucking mouth and finally listen, isn’t it?” he growled, one hand going to her stomach and sliding down until he was at her pussy. His middle and ring finger slipped inside her to the second knuckle but no further, nor did they move, though she seemed happy they were in her, regardless—and she was fucking _wet,_ at that. “Keep sucking,” he breathed. “Fuck, you’re so good at this, baby.”

He pushed himself all the way in to the base, though he felt her gagging around him soon enough, and he knew once she started to gag, there was no stopping it until she had a break. Still, she pushed through it at first, but as soon as he felt her tap his thigh three times, he pulled back and out of her mouth, giving her a chance to breathe and regain herself.

Nora turned her head away and coughed, gasping for air—but rather than waiting for him to return to fucking her face, she grabbed his cock and started stroking, her body stretching toward him a bit so she could drag her tongue up and down his length while her other hand went to his balls, rolling them around in her palm. At the same time, her fingertips pressed into the skin just behind his sac, massaging and poking and prodding in a few different spots until—

Maxson’s eyes grew wide and his knees nearly buckled as he gasped, following it up with a low groan that thundered from deep in his chest; his free hand grabbed onto the bedsheets as he hunched over while the one with fingers inside her pulled away, instead planting on her thigh and holding tightly. His breathing grew even heavier than what it had been seconds ago as shockwaves were sent through him and it took quite a bit of effort to keep himself from collapsing.

He knew what she was touching; he’d been with enough people who had prostates and had read enough books to know what that spot inside him was and what it did and felt like—but he’d never actually gotten to the point of having an orgasm from it. Then again, he’d never had any _internal_ stimulation of it, either. But Nora seemed to know what she was touching, as well, since she kept pushing at that same spot just like she always did when she found it, poking and prodding until he stopped her once it became too much.

”Mm, look what I found,” she purred teasingly just before dragging the flat of her tongue over the head of his cock.

After a few moments, he pulled away from her completely. “Get up,” he ordered, though he helped her sit up rather than making her do it herself. “On your hands and knees.”

Of course, his wife obeyed, and Arthur was immediately back on the bed on his knees behind her. His hands went to her ass, grabbing and groping for a moment before he reached down and took ahold of his cock, stroking himself a couple times and then slowly pushing in. He didn’t need to take it too slowly since he’d prepped her earlier, so once he was in, he only gave her a few seconds to adjust before he was thrusting, beginning with a moderate pace while both hands were back on her ass, spreading her open and pushing the cheeks forward so he could better see how his cock disappeared and reappeared with each thrust.

“Fuck, baby,” she moaned, lowering her chest to the mattress.

_”Mmmshit,”_ he groaned in return. One of his hands went forward and snatched a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back a little while the other still held onto her ass, using his hold there to move her hips back and forth with each push and pull of his own. “Fuck, Nora, you look so good.”

“Arthur,” she breathed.

“Tell me what you want, pet.”

“Harder.”

“It sounds like you’re demanding, and you know I don’t take demands from you.”

“Please, Sir. Please fuck me harder.”

“Good girl,” he praised; with that, he bucked his hips roughly against her ass, their skin clapping hard together just before she yelped out. But when he only did it once and went back to that same moderate pace, she glanced back at him with a confused look. “You want more?” She nodded. “You’ll have to beg for it.”

Nora whined but he twisted his wrist, pulling her hair and forcing her head back a little more. “Please fuck me harder, Sir.” He snapped his hips against her again, but only once. “Please.” Again. “Oh, fuck yes, _please.”_ Again. “Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease_pleaseplease!”_

Shoving her head forward so her cheek was pressed into the mattress, Arthur leaned over her a little as he started thrusting harder, fucking her into the bed—and Nora was _keening_ as he did, screaming his name and digging her nails into the sheets that he wished were his back instead. She’d scratched him up plenty of times and, despite the countless scars that riddled his skin, she’d added her own, leaving her marks along his back like the bruises she left on his throat.

He released her hair and grabbed one of her arms, pulling it back, then doing the same with the other, his fingers wrapping around her elbows as he pulled her to be leaning up as if she were holding herself up on her hands again. It gave Maxson leverage to pull her back into every thrust he made—thrusts that were harder than before.

Nora’s keening only grew louder.

“That’s it, baby,” he panted. “Keep screaming my name. Let me hear it. You sound so fucking good.”

“Oh, fuck, Arthur. Oh, fuckohfuckohfuckfuckfuck!”

Maxson released a low moan from how she was tightening around his cock, warning him that she was starting to get close. His cock was thick enough to rub against that bundle of nerves inside her, so he’d always found it easy to get her off just by fucking her and without even needing to touch her clit.

“You gonna cum for me, pet?”

“Yes. Oh, fuck yes. I’m gonna cum.”

_”Mmmfuck._ I can feel it. You’re so close, aren’t you?”

Nora released a strained _’mhm’_ as her body was trembling beneath him and he could only pick up the pace, slamming his hips against her ass so the loud _clap, clap, clap_ of skin-on-skin contact was nearly echoing in the room and competing with the frequency of her mewling.

_”Oh, god, I’m coming!”_

Her pussy clamped down around him as her entire body tensed, and Arthur slowed his thrusts to keep himself from tipping over the edge alongside her—he wasn’t done with her yet—as he helped her ride it out; but once she was settled, he pulled out and moved so he was lying on his back.

“Come here,” he ordered.

Immediately, she was between his legs, dragging her tongue up the underside of his cock and cleaning him off; he could see the white streaks of her cum along his shaft, contrasting with the redness of his dick, and she traced along the lines so they accumulated on her tongue instead. His wife’s eyes never left his as she licked him, and once she was satisfied that she’d cleaned him well enough, she climbed up his body for a kiss.

“Mm. Turn around and ride me,” he said after their lips broke apart. “I wanna see your ass.”

“Why?”

“Because you have a nice fucking ass, Nora, now do what I say.”

Pursing her lips, the vaultie mumbled a _’yes, Sir’_ as she pulled away, scooting down his body just a little before turning around so her back was to him while she was on her knees, her legs on either side of his hips. He let her do the work herself of lifting his cock and putting it back in, her hips sinking down until they were flush with his own and a soft noise came from her in the process. She took a couple seconds to get situated, wiggling her hips a little to get the feel of how she was sitting and lifting her legs to adjust her position—but when he realized she was just _biding her time_ and fucking teasing him, his palm came down on her ass.

_Smack._

She yelped.

“Stop playing around,” he growled.

“I wasn’t—”

_Smack._

“Ow! Okay, okay!” She started grinding her hips back and forth though she likely wasn’t getting much friction for her clit—his balls wouldn’t provide her with much stimulation compared to when she was facing him, able to press against his groin, but he could tell she was getting his cock to rub against that sensitive spot inside her. Still, he wanted to _see,_ not just feel.

“Shake your ass.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Shake your ass, Nora. Bounce it up and down.”

Glancing back at him, she bit her lower lip before doing just that, bouncing her ass up and down so the cheeks jiggled with each movement, and he could only let out a low groan as his hands went to her calves, gripping.

“Yeah, that’s it. Good girl,” he purred. “You have such a nice fucking ass, pet.”

During the time he’d known her—about a month or so after she’d left the vault—he’d watched her body change. She’d lost quite a bit of weight in her stomach and legs while the muscles in her ass, thighs, and calves toned up from all the walking she did, which just made her ass even nicer than what it already was. But he loved it either way.

“Thank you, Sir,” she panted, a moan combining into the words. One of her hands reached down between his legs, grabbing ahold of his balls and tugging at his sac, and Arthur could only spread his legs a bit more for her, his knees bending out to the sides.

“Mm, since you’re being so good now, I’ll let you—_fuck_—I’ll let you choose where I cum. Where do you want it?”

“Inside me, please.”

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

Her cunt was tightening around him again, nearly pulsing, and he could tell she was getting close once more, seeming to have found that perfect rhythm and angle to where his cock was rubbing against that bundle of nerves just the right way.

“Because I—I like it when you fill me. It makes me yours. And I—_oh, god_—and I like seeing your cum drip out of me.”

_”Mmmfuck,_ that sounds so good, baby,” he moaned. “You close? Because I’m gonna cum soon.”

“Yes, Sir. I’m so close.”

Maxson started thrusting up into her just slightly each time she came down onto him, and that seemed to help tip her over the edge faster; she started keening again.

“Fuck, Arthur, I’m gonna cum.”

“Be a good girl and cum for me, pet.”

It only took a few more thrusts before she came, her cunt squeezing him like a vise and coaxing a low groan from deep in his chest that had that same familiar heat coiling even tighter in his belly and at the base of his spine. Fuck, he was close, and watching her ass bounce on him was helping him get there even faster—as well as seeing her cum all over his cock again.

And when he was about to tip over the edge, his hands went to her ass, guiding her up and down on him faster as he climaxed, another moan escaping him until he eventually kept her from moving with his dick halfway in her cunt.

“Good girl,” he eventually praised, panting, his hands smoothing over her ass cheeks.

Nora remained leaning forward as she lifted her hips, his cock falling heavily against his stomach as he started to go soft—but they both watched as his cum just _leaked_ from her, dripping out of her cunt and down onto his cock and balls. Arthur could only groan at the sight, especially when he realized she was _pushing it out._

“Shit,” he breathed. “You know my cum doesn’t go to waste.”

“Yes, Sir,” she agreed—but rather than turning around, his wife just backed up, sticking her pussy in his face; he could only grin.

“So, it’s like that, is it?”

“Mhm. You clean me, I clean you. Seems fair.”

“Alright, pet. That’s fair.”

══════════════════

Being summoned to the Great Hall to speak to the Elder Council was always concerning as of late, and considering it’d been a while since the ‘interventions’ had started, he assumed it was about that. Regardless, it was always worrisome, especially since they’d done one of their ‘interventions’ earlier that very day.

“Elder Maxson, thank you for coming,” Bael greeted; Arthur didn’t reply. The Council let it slide. “I’m sure you are wondering why we’re calling you here, and the fact of the matter is it’s about your wife.”

Bael was always the type to get straight to the point, but Arthur immediately felt his blood start to heat up. Whatever this was, it wasn’t good, that was certain.

“We’ve been holding these interventions once per week for the past three months, as well as testing your wife for pregnancy every week, and she has continued to come up negative. We are… concerned, at this point.”

“… About what?”

“That perhaps Mrs. Maxson is infertile.”

Something in his stomach turned—he was going to throw up. No, he hadn’t eaten yet today, so there was nothing to even vomit.

“We understand she is prewar, which should mean she should be extremely fertile since she doesn’t possess the same issues with reproduction as postwar people do, but it is possible her being frozen has affected her ability to reproduce, or the fact she went into the Glowing Sea back in the Commonwealth. Or maybe even both. While radiation was common back in her time, it was not to the extent as it is now, and the sudden amount of it may have impacted her reproductive capabilities.”

Maxson shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the desk in front of him; he scratched at his jaw beneath his beard. “No, I don’t believe that. She’s fertile—she has to be.”

“It’s very possible she is not, Elder Maxson,” Hardin cut in, “And if that is the case, there are other options we must consider.”

The way the words were said made his skin crawl. _”’Other options’? ‘We’?”_ he repeated through gritted teeth, trying to prepare himself for what was to come; the fact Hardin was the one saying these things made it even worse.

“I understand you are attached to your wife—”

_”’Attached’!?”_

“—But perhaps you can find a different wife, one who is actually fertile, to conceive with.”

“Hardin, how _fucking dare you,”_ Arthur snarled, pushing himself to his feet. “We’ve went along with this entire fucking thing thus far—I let you watch me fuck my wife for _three goddamn months_ despite the fact I was inclined to refuse, but _Nora_ convinced me to go along with it, and now you want me to _replace her!?”_

“Arthur, it’s nothing personal—” Hardin began.

“Oh, it’s fucking personal,” he hissed as he started rounding the table. All three Council Elders stood, Hardin backing away from where Arthur was advancing on him while Bael and Gunny put themselves between the two.

“Arthur, calm down,” Gunny said quietly, his voice trying to remain calm.

“Calm down? _Calm down?_ He literally just suggested I _replace my wife_ because she might not be able to have children. What the fuck do you mean _calm down,_ Gunny!?”

“Listen to me—” Gunny tried again, but Arthur was lunging for the eldest man on the Council.

”After everything we’ve done to cooperate with this bullshit scheme of yours—after everything _she’s_ done when she didn’t sign up for _any of this_—you’re just going to casually suggest I find a new wife because you think she can’t have—“ 

Bael grabbed him around the waist. “You do not have to replace your wife,” he said, shooting a glare at Hardin as the man backed up further against the wall, his eyes cautiously fixated on Maxson. “If she turns out to be infertile, we can find a surrogate mother to bear your children. It’ll be a simple process that won’t require intercourse or any relation to the surrogate, and you and your wife can raise the child as you please.”

The room was silent for a few moments while Arthur’s eyes remained on Hardin, challenging, _threatening,_ as the two stared one another down. Bael was still holding onto the younger man, holding him back and keeping him from going after the Council Elder, but it didn’t take long for Arthur to regain control of himself. He took a few slow, deep breaths before nodding his head.

“We’ll do a fertility test on your wife. It’ll take a few days to get the results, but once we get them, we’ll let you know first thing and take it from there.”

Running his fingers through his beard, Arthur released a slow sigh, finally ripping his gaze away from the oldest Council member. “I need to speak to her before you do anything. This isn’t just my decision or about me. She needs to know what’s happening.”

“That’s understandable. Go speak to her and let us know when you’re ready.”

══════════════════

By the time he returned to the room, stress was written all over his face, though that wasn’t technically anything new. He walked through the door, shutting it behind him—but hesitated before turning around. How did he tell Nora the news? About what the Council has said and suggested? He knew she wanted children so she could get the chance to be a mother again after what had happened with Shaun, but… would it devastate her to know she might not ever have biological children again? To have children with _him?_

Fuck, she didn’t deserve any of this.

Sighing, he turned around—only to see his wife standing across the room, bent over, and looking through the bottom dresser drawer while only wearing one of his undershirts, nothing else, with her cunt bared to him. 

A wide grin stretched across his face and he shook his head. “You are something else, pet,” he said quietly.

“Hm? Oh, hey, I didn’t hear you come in. I’m just looking for something,” she said innocently before standing up and pushing the drawer shut with her foot, then walking over to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck while she stood on her tiptoes, their lips meeting in a soft kiss.

He held her in it as long as he could, one hand tangling his fingers into her hair; but when it broke, he gently kissed her forehead. “Did you not find what you were looking for?”

“What? Oh, uh—” she glanced back at the dresser, “—No, it… wasn’t in there.”

“What were you looking for? Maybe I know where it is.”

“You know, it’s not that big of a deal, don’t worry about it.”

“No, no, it’s alright. Let me help.”

“No, really, it’s fine! I don’t actually _need_ it—”

“You weren’t looking for anything, were you?”

Nora pursed her lips as she stared up at him, falling silent for a second. “… Anyway, how was your meeting?”

Busted.

But her question made him remember what he had to speak to her about, and that grin fell from his face as he sighed again. “We… should talk,” he said quietly.

The familiar expression of anxiety that he’d learned to recognize washed over her face and it was then he realized the mistake he made in how he’d worded his sentence—saying _’we should talk’_ to someone like Nora wasn’t exactly the best idea, but, at this point, it was already said and done.

“Come,” he ordered lightly, nudging her toward the bed so they could sit. She climbed into his lap as he sat on the mattress, his back against the headboard while her legs were on either side of his as she faced him. 

Before Nora came along, Arthur had never been one to pull punches; he’d never bothered to sugar coat things or to try to lessen the blow of his words or how bad the strike would be, instead always laying it out flat without the care of how it hit. But… Nora had changed that, and even from the beginning, he’d had some strange urge that he still didn’t quite understand to want to put things as delicately as possible when it came to her. He didn’t want to upset her, especially now.

“They aren’t happy that you still aren’t pregnant and they’re… thinking you can’t have kids anymore,” he said quietly.

Her face paled and her jaw set. “Why?”

“They think maybe it’s because you were frozen for so long or because you went into the Glowing Sea. They—”

“They suggested replacing me, didn’t they?” she asked. Her voice was quiet and full of hopelessness; it hurt his chest to hear, but it hurt even more to know she was feeling that way, partially because of him.

She wouldn’t be in this mess if he hadn’t approached her on the Prydwen.

Looking away, he hesitated, but nodded his head. “Hardin did, yes,” he confirmed, but his eyes looked back up at her while his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her body against his own. “But I would never let that happen.”

“You’re damn right it would never happen. They can go fuck themselves if they think they’re getting rid of me or that your dick is going near anyone else.”

Reaching up, his thumb gently stroked her cheekbone before he tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “They want to do a fertility test, and if it turns out you can’t have kids, they suggested a surrogate mother. I didn’t approve the test because that’s not my decision to make—it’s yours. If you want to do it, you can, but I’m not going to ask you to. You’ve done enough for me and them already.”

“I’ll do it,” she immediately agreed.

Arthur searched her face for something—anything—that might tell him what she was thinking; but while Nora never hid her emotions from him, she didn’t seem to be hiding anything else now, either. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. If proving to them that I can get pregnant will get them to fuck off, then that’s what I’ll do. And if, by chance, I can’t, then we’ll take it from there. But I’ll do whatever I have to for _you,_ Arthur. For _us. Not them.”_

Maxson tucked another piece of hair behind her ear before cupping her jaw, still searching her face for anything that could tell him something more, but he still came up short. After a second, though, he nodded his head. “Okay,” he whispered, then leaned up to gently press his lips to hers. “I love you so much, Leonora Maxson.”

“I love you, too, Arthur Parker.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense.”

“Shut up, it sounded better in my head.”


	6. Results

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I know this must be difficult to hear, Arthur. I’m sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> April 2, 2289
> 
> CW: breathplay

The moment he’d returned to the room after having been briefed on some training routines for recruits, Nora had pounced on him, shoving him hard against the door as soon as it was closed and crashing their lips together. It was unexpected but not the first time she’d thrown herself at him the second he walked through the door, though he never minded when she did it; and, instead, he always returned the eagerness of attention and affection.

Now, though, he had her naked with her back against the wall, legs over his shoulders and hands tightly gripping his hair while his own hands were stretched up and cupping her breasts, palming and groping them. His face was between her thighs as he sucked on her clit, the tip of his tongue flicking against the sensitive bundle of nerves as it was inside his mouth.

“Oh, fuck,” she breathed, clutching his hair tighter; he made a low growl against her clit in warning, but she either ignored it, didn’t realize it was a warning, or just didn’t even hear it because she kept her hold as she rocked her hips against his face.

Arthur’s eyes flicked up to her, but she had her own closed, her head tipped back against the wall—he pulled away from her pussy and turned his face just enough to clamp his teeth down on the inside of her thigh. His wife yelped in surprise and pain, eyes opening wide as she looked down at him. “You know the rules, pet. Eyes on me.”

“Y-yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir,” she whispered.

Immediately, his mouth was on her again, his tongue pushing between her folds and lapping at her clit, the wet sound louder than before. Nora stared down at him, though he knew her eyes weren’t locked with his own but instead were focused on how she could see his tongue moving against her clit; she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, chewing it as she softly moaned.

It wasn’t long before her legs were trembling on his shoulders while her moans were growing louder, telling him she was getting close to coming. Arthur sucked her clit back into his mouth, alternating between swirling his tongue and flicking the tip against it—and as soon as he went back to lapping at the swollen bundle of nerves, she was sent over the edge, back arching as she moaned his name and tugged his hair.

He would have to discipline her for pulling his hair later.

Regardless, he helped her ride it out before pulling away from the wall, his hands sliding to the middle of her back to keep her steady so she wouldn’t fall while her legs remained around his shoulders, ankles crossing at his upper back; but he lowered her top half so she was at a horizontal angle and no longer blocking his view, allowing him to see where he was walking. And while she did flail at first from the fear of falling, her hands clung to his forearms as he carried her over to the bed. Tossing her onto the mattress haphazardly, she shrieked again, the fact of not being on solid ground—or solid _anything,_ really—making her panic; but she always loved it when he manhandled her, so she never complained.

Once she was on her back, she scooted away from him as he crawled onto the bed after her, grabbing her calves and pulling her toward him so he was between her legs. “Where are you going?” he growled, and she grinned up at him.

Maxson spit into his palm and then reached down and took ahold of his cock, spreading saliva onto his shaft before grabbing near the base as he slowly moved his hips back and forth, rubbing his length along Nora’s folds; he pressed himself against her a bit rougher, pushing between her lower lips so the head of his cock rubbed over her clit each time he moved forward. His free hand went to one of her thighs, pushing it closer to her chest at the same time and giving himself more access to tease her.

“Fuck. Arthurrrr.”

“What?”

“Please.”

“Please what?”

“Please put your cock in me.”

“You don’t like this?”

“I do, I just—” Nora whined, her hips wiggling while she was leaned up on her elbows, watching him; he held her still with the hand on her thigh, the other remaining on his cock as he kept rubbing it between her folds. “I just want you to fuck me.”

“Hm. And what if I want to keep teasing you?”

“But—”

Before she was able to answer, the Elder pulled back just enough so his cock was angled down more and he could start pushing into her; but rather than easing in like usual with a back-and-forth motion, he instead made a single, slow, steady push that had her whining and taking a sharp inhale between her teeth. He didn’t stop to give her a break, knowing she could take it if he didn’t push her too much or too fast, so he went slow and kept an eye on her breathing.

However, he couldn’t help how his eyes glanced from her face to between their bodies, taking in the sight of how her cunt stretched around the girth of his cock—she was so damn _small._ Everyone he’d been with before had always been of average height or taller, as well as average build at least, so being with someone like Nora—who was an entire foot shorter than him with a small build despite having weight she carried over from her prewar days that she couldn’t seem to get rid of—meant her body had to accommodate to his size much more than his past partners. Sure, he’d had to prep past lovers before vaginal sex because he was much thicker than average, but Nora was… different—smaller; _much_ smaller.

And he couldn’t get enough of how she looked when she took him, either. Some sort of size difference kink or something, maybe; she’d certainly talked about how she loved the fact he was so much bigger than her, too, so he wasn’t alone in that regard.

Their gazes finally locked as he was hilted, hips pressed together, and he saw how she was biting her bottom lip while her face was flushed red, the color nearly hiding some of her freckles.

But Arthur lunged forward, his hand wrapping around her throat and shoving her flat onto the bed to where she wasn’t leaning up on her elbows any longer, pinning her down by her throat while his other hand went onto the mattress beside her head. He shifted his knees closer before leaning down to kiss her roughly, then pulled away, releasing his hold and hooking his arms beneath her legs, her knees in the crooks of his elbows. Planting his hands flat on the bed again as he leaned over her, he held her legs up, and Nora’s arms went beneath his, her hands wrapping around his forearms, nails digging into his skin as he started grinding against her—not thrusting, but grinding his hips up and down, rubbing his groin against her clit each time he moved.

His wife was keening beneath him.

“Feel good?” he purred teasingly.

She nodded her head, her mouth falling open as her back arched. _”Fuck.”_

He kept his eyes on her, watching as increasing pleasure continued to wash over her face, and he felt her pussy begin to tighten around him, telling him she was getting close just from how he was grinding against her. “Fuck, Nora, you’re so _wet,”_ he groaned. The sound of how slick her pussy was could be heard each time he moved against her and it only made him want to bring her to the edge even more.

“Oh, fuck, I’m gonna cum,” she mewled, tipping over the edge soon after; her back arched as she did, cunt spasming around his cock and coaxing a low moan from deep in his chest.

“That’s it, baby,” he praised. “Such a good girl, coming for me.”

“Fuck, Arthur,” she moaned, her nails biting into his arms.

He helped her ride it out but when he felt her coming down from her orgasm, Maxson pulled his hips back and then roughly thrust them forward, slamming his cock into her and making her yelp out in a mixture of pleasure and pain. “You sound so good, pet,” he panted, continuing the rough thrusts and listening as his wife keened beneath him.

After a few moments, however, he stopped, keeping his hips flush with hers as he released her legs from where they were at in the crook of his elbows, instead letting them fall open on either side of his body while his hands went to her breasts and grabbed, squeezing roughly just before he started fucking her again. Nora’s own hand went between her thighs as she pulled her legs up and spread them wider, her fingers finding her clit and rubbing at it while she stared up at him.

Fuck, she looked so good—he couldn’t help it when his hands slowly slid up from her chest, moving to her throat as they cupped the column without squeezing, instead just holding while he kept fucking her roughly.

And then her eyes slid shut.

_Smack._

“You know better,” he growled. “Eyes on me.” 

Immediately, Nora’s eyes opened again, and she was looking back up at him. “Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir,” she breathed.

His fingertips smoothed over the spot he struck on her cheek; while he might normally be able to see blood rush to the surface during any other time or when he smacked any other spot on her body, Nora’s face always flushed red during sex, her pale skin tinting from exertion every time they fucked. It was likely because they were rarely ever gentle—or, rather, _he_ was rarely ever gentle—and many of the things he did and said still effected that prewar woman who was just a tad shy in certain aspects.

“Arthur,” she breathed, her free hand grabbing onto one of his forearms.

“Tell me what you want.”

“Choke me.”

_Fuck._

Maxson had introduced the concept of breathplay to her a while after they’d started fucking; while she’d said she’d been aware of it before, she’d also said she’d never expected to like it, herself, though he’d managed to show her how intense it could be. Then again, he’d introduced her to _a lot_ of things she’d never expected to enjoy, both of them sorting out what she liked and disliked, as well as what she wanted to eventually try that he hadn’t actually tried before but was willing to do so for her—and even going as far as talking about what his own boundaries were that he absolutely wouldn’t do. Some of it was… touch and go. Mistakes were made but they worked it out in the end.

Breathplay, however, was something she was iffy on trying that he’d eased her into. It started off with brief, light choking without fully cutting off her air supply, then eventually worked its way up to the point where he was able to choke her completely—and she even started _asking_ him to do it, eventually; _demanding_ it.

A low groan rumbled from his chest. “You know better.”

“Please choke me, Sir. Please.”

Pausing in his thrusts, he leaned down for a moment to crash his lips against hers in a rough kiss, his teeth biting her bottom one and tugging as he pulled away, letting her lip snap against her gums when he released it; and as soon as he was sitting back up, he started thrusting again just before slowly squeezing her throat. Nora took a breath and, once he was sure she was ready, he squeezed enough to cut off her air, his hands holding tightly onto her neck.

Her eyes remained locked onto his for as long as they could and he fucked her harder, feeling her pussy tighten around him as he knew her vision was fading, the lack of oxygen rendering her toward unconsciousness; but he’d never let her get there before and he certainly wouldn’t let her get there now, either.

Both of her hands were gripping his forearms and he could feel her cunt pulsing around him, threatening to climax—and just as her eyes began to roll up, he released the tight hold he had without removing his hands. Nora gasped for air, following it up with a moan.

But she didn’t cum.

“Fuck. You were close, weren’t you? I let go too soon?”

She shook her head. “No, Sir. You let go on time.”

Her eyes were on him again, but they were different from before—she’d slipped into subspace and he could only admire the way she looked: submissive, at his mercy, vulnerable, _trusting._ He’d take care of her.

Arthur pushed his hips flush against hers again, hilting himself, and he leaned down to press their bodies together; his lips found her neck while his forearms rested against the mattress on either side of her. The vaultie tipped her head to the side, baring herself to him—submitting, such a beautiful thing to see—and he made a soft noise against her neck while he started grinding his hips. Gentle kisses were peppered along the column of her throat and up to just beneath her chin. “You want me to try again?”

“Please.”

Trailing his lips to hers, he pulled her into a kiss and held it briefly before sitting up once more, his hands back on her throat. He gave her time to breathe before he started squeezing again, cutting off her air just like last time—but also just like last time, when he let go, she didn’t cum despite how her cunt was pulsing around him.

“One more time,” he said; she nodded.

This time, however, just as she started to inhale, he squeezed, cutting off her air in the middle of her breath. Nora’s eyes grew wide and she gripped his forearms, nails digging in as her body went into panic mode from being unable to breathe since she was cut off right in the middle of it. She scratched at his arms and thrashed beneath him, but he kept thrusting, fucking her as hard as he could, their hips clapping together as he felt her pussy tightening around him again—though, this time, it was even tighter than before.

“Come on, pet,” he breathed as he watched her intently while she stared up at him with wide eyes. He’d done it to her this way before, forcing her body into panic mode solely because it made her orgasms that much more _intense_—but that never meant she didn’t react as if she was fucking dying, because her brain told her she was.

Nora kept clawing at his arms, breaking the skin in numerous spots as she scratched over the same areas multiple times, drops of blood trickling down toward his wrists and onto her skin.

“Fuck, you’re gonna cum so hard for me, baby,” he growled, his cock nearly pulsing inside her.

As soon as she started fading, he let her free and she gasped for air while, at the same time, she came—and she came _hard._ His wife moaned loudly, screaming his name, and Maxson could only groan alongside her from how tight she squeezed his cock. His hands went back to her breasts, gripping them, just so he didn’t risk gripping her throat instead.

“That’s it, good girl,” he praised breathlessly.

She was panting beneath him, trying to catch her breath while her body trembled, her cunt still pulsing around his cock; he helped her ride it out a bit longer before pulling out, taking hold of himself near the base before slapping the head of his dick against her pussy, being sure to tap her clit, and she closed her legs with a whine, likely sensitive from having just cum. Arthur used that moment to roll her onto her side, laying behind her on his side, as well, and pulling her against his chest so she was slightly leaned back. He pulled her top leg up and then reached down to guide his cock back into her, pushing himself nearly all the way in with one fluid motion.

Nora moaned and twisted her upper half to where she was facing him a bit more, her head resting on his forearm while he leaned on his elbow, his hand wrapped around part of her neck; she reached up to wrap her own arm around the back of his neck in return. Arthur’s free hand was down between their bodies and beneath her leg so he could rub at her clit as he started thrusting, one foot planted on the bed to give himself leverage so he could push into her harder.

His wife stared up at him as she bit her bottom lip and he leaned down to kiss her, but the kiss was different compared to how he was fucking her. It was intimate—passionate—despite how his hips were thrusting roughly and how he’d just choked her minutes ago.

She pulled away from him slightly. “Let me mark your throat,” she breathed.

Groaning lowly, he leaned forward a bit and tipped his head up and Nora latched onto the column of his throat, right at his beard line; he almost went limp.

_”Fuck, Nora.”_

Her hips moved against him since he’d stopped thrusting without realizing it, trying to tell him to keep going, so he started back up, fucking her hard again as she bit and sucked on the spot she grabbed onto, marking him as her own; and once she was satisfied she’d marked him well enough, she let go and took a second to admire her work.

But he didn’t give her long to do so before his lips were back on hers, kissing her roughly, and he was rubbing her clit again as he kept fucking her. That familiar heat was coiling deep in his belly and at the base of his spine, warning him of his impending orgasm, and from the way she was tightening around him, he could tell she was getting close again, too.

“I wanna cum with you,” she whispered against his lips, her words breathy and partially moaned.

Nodding, Arthur sped up his thrusts as much as he could, trying to bring that heat along faster; Nora’s thighs were trembling soon enough, and he was starting to think she’d cum before him, until—

“Cum for me, Sir. Please,” she whispered, a slight moan in her voice. “I wanna feel you cum inside me.”

Oh, _fuck._

It only took a few more thrusts before he tipped over the edge and, at almost the exact same time, Nora came with him, moaning his name against his lips—he could only devour the sound. Arthur hilted himself inside her, returning the soft moans into the kiss as he filled her with his spend and, at that point, he didn’t even want to pull out. 

Nora lowered her leg but he kept his hips flush with her ass as their lips remained connected in a deep kiss; the hand that had been rubbing her clit was instead placed palm-flat on her stomach, sliding up to one breast, palming it, and then the other, switching back and forth to give both attention. When the kiss finally broke, they were both left panting, and he tipped his head up to gently kiss her forehead, holding his lips there for a couple seconds before he shifted how they were laying; he moved so one of his arms was beneath her neck and crossed over her chest so his hand was on her shoulder, the other draped over her stomach with his fingers tucked beneath her side—and still, he hadn’t pulled out, his cock mostly soft and still partially inside her.

She relaxed into him, her eyes closing while he rested his cheek against the side of her head, his nose right behind her ear. They both remained silent for a long few moments before she finally spoke, her voice quiet.

“You’re perfect for me.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I guess that makes you perfect for me,” he countered.

“You can’t steal my compliment, that’s not fair.”

“Too late, I just did. What are you gonna do about it?”

She went quiet, likely thinking about the question and just what, in fact, she would do about it—but when she never responded, instead just huffing in fake irritation, he grinned and kissed the back of the shell of her ear.

“That’s what I thought.”

══════════════════

He stared at the wall, lips slightly parted and brows furrowed as he let the information sink in. How could this be possible? There was no way it was true.

“I know this must be difficult to hear, Arthur. I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “I don’t—” stopping, Maxson’s eyes dropped to the floor as he took a few moments to think, “You’re… sure?”

“Yes. We did the tests numerous times and the results are incontestable. I’m truly sorry.”

Perhaps the news was easier to hear when coming from Gunny. Bael would have been too formal and emotionless about it and Hardin likely would have been _giddy;_ but Gunny… well, Gunny was always kind and caring—the moral voice of the three Council Elders.

But… the results were indisputable.

How did he tell Nora? How did he tell Nora it was for certain they couldn’t have children? That they couldn’t have a family of their own—that they couldn’t have biological children together? How did he break the news to her? She’d been anxious for the past week, especially since the tests were taking longer than expected, and her depression had even spiked; Arthur had found himself having to quell her anxiety and reaffirm her that, no matter the results, he wouldn’t leave her and he’d love her regardless.

Yet, now that the results were here, and they were real, and it was true they could not have children together… would she be upset? How would she react?

_Fuck._

Leaning forward in his chair, Maxson put his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, his fingers threading into his hair as he swallowed hard. “I don’t—I don’t know how to tell Nora,” he whispered.

“Just tell her the truth,” Gunny said quietly. “Don’t beat around the bush. Tell her outright about the results and take it from there.”

A hand was on his back, patting gently, and he had to resist the urge to break it; he knew it was meant to be comforting, but that sort of thing didn’t ever comfort him—not from people like Gunny, at least. Half the time it didn’t even work when coming from Nora, either. He wasn’t one for physical contact when feeling this way, but when he told Nora the news and she, undoubtedly, became upset, he’d have to comfort her, right? He’d have to suck it up and help her get through it—and Nora was a physical person.

“She’s going to be upset.”

“Probably, yeah. But this isn’t something that can be controlled or changed, Arthur. These results… infertility isn’t reversible. I mean, maybe it was reversible prewar, I dunno, but that’s not the case now. She’s going to have to learn how to deal with it.”

Running a hand down his face, Maxson released a shaky breath before slowly pushing himself to his feet. “Alright, I should—I should go… talk to her. Tell her the—tell her the news. The results.”

Gunny nodded, leaning back against the desk behind him with his arms crossed over his chest. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Maxson shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. Well, just… make sure word doesn’t get out. At least not yet, yeah? I know Hardin will do his damndest to spread it but just try to keep it contained for as long as possible. Please.”

The Council Elder nodded. “Of course, Arthur. I’ll do my best. Good luck.”

══════════════════

The second he walked into the room and locked eyes with Nora, he watched her face pale. She was sitting on the bed, waiting, knowing he’d went to the meeting to receive the results of the tests—though she wasn’t allowed to attend because it was considered a meeting meant only for Elders, as ridiculous as that was, though perhaps it was some sort of mercy, now that he thought about it. But when he walked through the door, she must have saw the look on his face or realized something was wrong because the color drained from her face and she stood up, her expression filled with worry.

“It… wasn’t good, was it?” she asked quietly.

He couldn’t bring himself to speak; rather, he just shook his head, his eyes dropping to the ground. Fuck, he couldn’t even _look_ at her now.

“Arthur—” she started, her voice cracking. “Are you—are you upset… with me?”

“No, love,” he said quietly, though he still kept his eyes away from her. “I could never be upset with you, I promise.”

She must not have believed him, though, because he could almost _feel_ the amount of anxiety she was letting off into the room. Her feet and legs came into his view as she slowly and cautiously approached, but still kept a distance. “Please talk to me.”

”I’m trying… to think of what to say. How to say it. Just—“

“Why won’t you look at me?”

He gritted his teeth. “Nora—”

“Please look at me, Arthur,” she begged, her voice cracking again; he could tell tears were already starting to fall down her face. “Please don’t—please don’t hate me. I’m sorry, I didn’t—I didn’t know. I would have told you if I did.”

It was then his eyes raised to her in confusion and he studied her face. She was feeling… guilty? She’d felt guilty the past week, sure, but not to this extent, he didn’t think. Or maybe she’d bottled it up until now. Or maybe—

Fuck.

He’d made a mistake.

A huge fucking mistake.

By not looking at her, she must have thought he was blaming her and rejecting her.

But… she had it all wrong.

“I’m so sorry, Arthur. I’m so sorry I fucked up your future. I—I didn’t mean to,” she sobbed, her cheeks wet with tears, the freckles acting as stones at the bottom of a shallow river. “Please don’t hate me, baby. Please. I’m so sorry—”

“It’s not you,” he whispered.

Nora paused as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she moved closer, standing directly in front of him; his gaze had drifted away from her again, but as she stood before him, he could only stare down at her once more. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m the one who’s infertile.”


	7. Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know, when Nate and I first got together, we decided we didn’t want children—that was one of the first big talks of our relationship. Neither of us thought we’d be good parents because of how our own parents treated us and we never really had the urge to have kids, anyway.”

“It’s not you,” he whispered.

Nora paused and furrowed her eyebrows as a look of confusion washed over her face, and she moved closer, stepping to where she was standing directly in front of him; he’d diverted his gaze away from her again but now that she was in his direct line of sight, he could only stare down at her once more.

“What do you mean?” she asked quietly, her voice filled with concern; but there was no doubt she knew what he meant—he didn’t need to clarify.

Yet, he did, regardless.

“I mean I’m the one who’s infertile.”

The vaultie stood there silently for a few moments and, during that time, it seemed like forever. An unfamiliar feeling washed over him, radiating from his skin like heat from the sun and filling the room, threatening to drown them both as if it were water; could she feel it? Could she smell it? Could she _taste_ it? This wasn’t a feeling he entirely understood; it wasn’t something he’d experienced often nor was it something he could identify in himself, but he knew it was there. And it was _uncomfortable._

Nora thought she was the one to fuck up his future but that was not the case; instead, _he_ was the one to fuck up _both_ their futures—and how? How had he managed it? Had something happened along the way? Too much radiation? A swift kick to the groin?

It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t have children—wouldn’t have heirs—and Nora wouldn’t get to have a biological family with him. Of course, she could always choose to be with someone else, and he wouldn’t blame her if she went down that route, especially considering he’d always thought she’d be better off with someone like Danse—

“Shit,” she breathed.

Arthur’s eyes closed tightly, and he turned his face away, tipping his chin down at the same time; but a delicate hand was cupping his jaw as soft, prewar fingers threaded into his beard. He refused to open his eyes but still lightly leaned his face into her palm, finding some sort of comfort in the touch, much unlike how he’d wanted to break Gunny’s hand when the Council Elder had patted his back earlier.

“It’s alright, Arthur,” she said quietly.

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is. You don’t—”

“I have… failed the Brotherhood,” he admitted, his voice softening to almost a whisper. “I have failed my family line, the Maxson’s—_you.”_

The look she gave him was one of bewilderment. “Failed? You didn’t fail anyone, baby, and you especially didn’t fail _me._ Why would you think that?”

Both of her hands were on his jaw now, turning his face so he was looking down at her, and he opened his eyes to meet her gaze; her own were still glassy from tears, her cheeks still wet, and he so badly wanted to wipe them dry—but he couldn’t even convince himself to lift his arms. 

“I wanted to give you the chance to be a mother, to get to raise your baby this time. I wanted—I wanted to have a _family_ with you, Nora, because I know that was what you wanted.”

The vaultie stared at him for a long few moments, studying his face, perhaps searching for something he didn’t know about that was hidden in his features—and that same feeling washed over him again. He hoped she would find something—anything—to lessen it even though part of him knew he didn’t deserve to feel better; whatever it was he was feeling, it wasn’t a _good_ feeling, he knew that.

“Do you want children?” she finally asked, the question abrupt.

“Yes—”

“Not for me. Do _you_ want children, Arthur? Is that something you’ve wanted for yourself? A family—to raise kids, regardless of what the Brotherhood wanted?”

The question caught him off guard; it wasn’t one he’d ever been asked before. Since childhood, he’d been told he had specific responsibilities—lead his brothers and sisters into battle, preserve technology and keep it out of the hands of people who would use it to harm others, and create strong offspring with superior genetics that would one day take his place to continue the Maxson Dynasty.

But he’d never been asked what _he_ wanted.

To be fair, Arthur wasn’t… great with children, not really. Perhaps it had to do with the fact he struggled to identify his own emotions and the emotions of others—and while children didn’t often hide their emotions, mostly displaying them on their faces quite clearly, he wasn’t around them often enough to fully be able to discern what they might be compared to an adult. Plus, children were _complicated_ with emotions, weren’t they?

His lack of emotional understanding and the inability to identify them had certainly caused him to struggle with relationships in the past; not necessarily romantic ones, because he’d never really sought those out before Nora, but even just friendships as well as the dynamics he’d held with past subs. He couldn’t discern what others were thinking unless they were basic emotions—happy, sad, angry—and only if they were clearly exhibited in their expressions; and, perhaps one of the reasons he’d fallen for Nora was that she’d never hidden her emotions from him and had the habit of displaying how she felt on her face, allowing him to easily read her. And whatever he didn’t understand or couldn’t tell, she usually explained.

But this sort of thing was worrisome to him. Was it because of his childhood trauma that he was like this or was it something he’d inherited from his parents? His father died before he was ten, his mother not long after, and he’d long forgotten their faces and personalities… were they like him, too? And if that was the case, would his own children end up like him, as well? Would they end up unattached from their emotions and struggle to even read someone else’s—what did Curie call it? Alexithymia?—from such a young age? Or would they be like Nora, on the complete opposite end?

It didn’t matter now. His genes wouldn’t be passed on, so there was no risk of his offspring having trouble with these things because they simply would not exist.

Still, the possibility of a surrogate father was available, assuming Nora would even consider that an option. But the fact she’d stressed in the past how she didn’t want their children to become soldiers continued to ring in his head to this day; he’d promised he would try his hardest to make sure that didn’t happen, but he knew there was likely nothing he could do. A Maxson was expected to become a soldier and, eventually, an Elder; they wouldn’t be the exception, but instead the example. And considering his childhood, despite how the Lyons family tried to treat him well, he ended up with childhood trauma that haunted him to this day, and there was no doubt in his mind that his own children might very well experience much of the same thing.

And, finally, there was the fact he just never really had that paternal instinct. He’d seen how past partners became when around babies and children, those who could birth them sometimes fawning over the young ones and saying they couldn’t wait to have their own while the others commented on how they couldn’t wait to be parents either way. But Arthur never had that; he’d never had the urge to be a parent—never had the urge to be a father. Sure, thinking about Nora being a mother was something that excited him, but how much of that was because it made _her_ happy?

But… did he really want children, or was that just what the Brotherhood made him believe?

“I don’t know,” he quietly admitted, his eyes flicking back and forth between hers.

Nora’s hands left his beard and she smoothed the coarse hairs down before grasping onto the lapels of his coat, gently tugging him toward the bed, only to stop beside it. Slowly, she started taking his coat off, guiding it down one shoulder and then the other before folding it and placing it on the nearby dresser, then returning to him to mess with the buckle of his collar. Of course, he had to undo it for her, instead, because she never actually learned how to undo it herself—or maybe she did and just never admitted it.

When the buckle was undone, his wife started to slowly pull the zipper of his suit down; all he could do was watch her in silence.

“You know, when Nate and I first got together, we decided we didn’t want children—that was one of the first big talks of our relationship. Neither of us thought we’d be good parents because of how our own parents treated us and we never really had the urge to have kids, anyway. I don’t think I have a maternal instinct—”

“You do.”

Her eyes flicked up to him briefly and she gave him a soft smile before she continued working on undressing him, sliding his jumpsuit off one shoulder and then the other. “Well, when I got pregnant with Shaun, we weren’t going to keep him, but we decided to give it a try. Of course, the bombs fell not long after he was born, so… you know.”

Maxson’s suit was down to his hips now and he lifted his arms as she pulled his undershirt off, his holotags _clinking_ against his chest when they had fallen free from the cloth. Nora’s fingers ran through the dark expanse of hair on his front, up from his stomach to his chest, before she urged him to sit on the edge of the bed. When he did, she got to her knees in front of him and began to unlace his boots.

“You once told me I never got the chance to be a mother, and you were right. I didn’t. Maybe I would have been a good mother, maybe not, but my chance to be a parent with Nate is long gone.”

She paused, her eyebrows furrowing; he wanted to reach down to comfort her, knowing the thought of her deceased husband was still a raw topic and always would be, but she was back to unlacing his boots just as quickly as she had paused her words. The first boot came off, followed by his sock, and she carefully set it to the side before going to work on the other one.

“My point is that Shaun was an accident and… Nate and I made the decision to try parenthood. I never planned to be a mother, it wasn’t something that I actually _planned_ for until… well, until you.” Royal blue eyes glanced up to meet his gaze and Arthur’s breath caught in his throat. “But it’s not something I _need,_ Arthur.”

The other boot came off, as well as his sock, and they were carefully placed with the first. Nora met his gaze again, locking eyes with him once more. “I don’t need to be a mother again. You don’t need to give me a family—because _you’re_ my family, and _you’re_ all I need. That was never something you had to do for me.”

Delicate hands slid up the outside of his thighs before her fingers curled around the edge of his flight suit, grabbing onto it, as well as the hem of his boxer briefs, before pulling them both down as he lifted his hips so she could finish undressing him despite how she hadn’t even taken a single item of clothing off herself. He wasn’t hard at all, anxiety running through his veins far too quickly and far too much to let that happen, but he knew this vault dweller could immediately change that if she wanted to.

But he also knew that wasn’t her intention.

The remainder of his clothes were folded and set off to the side just like the rest, his wife being much more precise and delicate than usual before she turned back to him, another soft smile crossing her lips. “You don’t owe the Brotherhood a damn thing. You’re more than your last name and rank and genetics.”

She was right, wasn’t she? He wasn’t just an Elder or a Maxson or the _last_ Maxson, he was Elder _Arthur_ Maxson—a man, a fucking _human being._ And while he may not have understood his own goddamn emotions, he still _had_ them, and he could recognize that being treated like a fucking messiah or god or deity or whatever was fucking _offensive,_ and that the Council treating him like he absolutely _had_ to reproduce or else he was betraying his entire existence was _just as fucking bad._

Nora slipped her own clothes off, tossing them away—unlike how she’d so meticulously folded his and placed them on the dresser and to the side—before she climbed onto the bed with him. The Elder scooted to where he was laying normally, his head on the pillows as she laid her body against his side, her own head on his chest with her arm draped over his stomach. They didn’t often lay like this, mostly preferring how he’d curl around her back and hold her close, but he’d never complain about feeling each exhale she made against his chest.

“I will do whatever you want, Arthur,” she said. “If you want children, then I’ll deal with a surrogate as I’m sure the Council already has a list. And if you don’t, then I’m perfectly fine not having any. All I need is you, baby. Nothing more, nothing less.”

His arm wrapped tighter around her, pulling her closer against his side just as he found her hand with his free one as she had her arm draped over his abdomen, lacing their fingers together. They were quiet for a long few moments and he just listened to her breathing while, at the same time, he was certain she was listening to the rapid beats of his heart—could she tell they were too fast? Unsteady? That he was still worried and anxious that she might leave him? He’d never voice that concern, of course, but it was there, nonetheless.

Yet, as if she knew, he felt her head tilt up, her cheek brushing against his chest hair as she did, and he tipped his chin down to look at her, meeting her gaze. Nora stared up at him without saying a word for a few seconds, though the expression on her face was something he couldn’t read; it made him uncomfortable. Was she hiding it? Or was she just not feeling anything? Was it because of _him?_

But a smile crossed her face before she leaned up and gently pressed her lips against his, kissing him softly, their hands unlacing so she could thread her fingers into his beard again, and he had to hold back the purr of satisfaction that threatened to rumble from his chest. The kiss broke not long after it began, however, and she pulled back just enough to look down at him while she was leaned up on her elbow, that smile on her face again as she silently stared at him—he could only stare back. Was she searching for something? He’d often found himself searching her face for answers to how she was feeling when he struggled to determine her emotions at the time, but Nora never had that problem, so what was she looking for?

The pad of her thumb brushed over his bottom lip before it trailed up to the scar on his right cheek, slowly tracing down the trenched line in his skin. “I would do anything for you, Arthur Maxson. I love you that fucking much, and I hope you know that.”

Fuck, his chest _ached._ He’d never understood how someone like Nora could love someone like him—or how someone like him could ever love at all—but she did, and it was real… wasn’t it?

Reaching up, the Elder cupped her jaw with one hand before slipping it behind her neck and pulling her down so their lips connected in another kiss—this one more passionate and deeper; he wasn’t sure it conveyed just how fucking much he loved her, but he certainly hoped it did, and if not, he’d show her and tell her for the rest of their fucking lives. He’d learned long ago there was no one else in the world quite like Nora; there was no one else who could have _tamed_ him like she had, and there was nowhere else he’d rather be than with her, even after all their bumps and errors throughout their relationship and even with how fucked up the world was.

His wife returned the kiss, her eyes fluttering closed again as she sighed against his lips, and he only wanted more from her—more _of_ her—as it went on. Gently, he pulled her body atop his, encouraging her to straddle his hips while their chests were pressed together, and his hands were at her sides, slowly stroking up and down the tender skin. One of her own hands went to his beard, threading her fingers into it again while the other did the same with his hair, her nails grazing against his scalp; he was unable to hold back the soft noise of contentment this time as it tumbled from his chest.

He was already hard—then again, it never took him long to get there, especially when it came to anything Nora did; and considering the fact she was rubbing her slit against his length, her slick slowly coating the underside of his cock as it was pressed up against his lower belly, he was _pulsing._

She pulled away from the kiss after a while, her face flushed pink as she pushed herself to sit up before raising to her knees, then reaching beneath her to grasp his cock and lift it up. Arthur’s hands went to her thighs, gently stroking up and down as he watched her slowly lower herself onto him, the head of his dick pushing into her and coaxing a gasp from her throat. His wife took it slow, placing her hands on his ribs as she worked her hips up and down, easing him in since she hadn’t been prepped—they’d been a bit… well, _preoccupied,_ after all.

“That’s it,” he praised, one hand moving between her legs to rub gentle circles on her clit. “Almost in.”

By the time their hips were together, she was panting, her face flushed even more as she remained still to give herself time to adjust to his girth.

“Good girl,” he purred, sliding his other hand up her thigh and to her breast while he kept rubbing her clit with his thumb.

“Fuck,” she breathed. “You’re so fucking thick, Arthur.”

Normally, he would have grinned and teased her about it, perhaps degraded her about how she couldn’t take him anymore, but all he could do this time was just upturn the left corner of his mouth in a smile. He knew she wasn’t doing it to talk dirty—Nora wasn’t the type to initiate that, instead letting him take the lead while she answered his call—but that didn’t matter here.

It was different this time.

_Something_ was different this time.

Or maybe it was something _about_ this time that _needed_ to be different.

Soon enough, her thighs were trembling on either side of his hips and he sped up his movements on her clit, pressing a bit harder, and she was quick to tip over the edge, coming on him, pulsing around his cock. Arthur released a low moan from deep in his chest as he felt her walls tighten, both hands soon back on her thighs before they slowly slid up to her hips, encouraging her to grind against him; she did, of course, since she’d had time to adjust, and it had her moaning immediately from the friction.

But this wasn’t what he wanted—no, he wanted to be _closer._ He _needed_ to be closer.

Reaching up, Maxson gently pulled his wife against his chest before rolling their bodies over, ending up with him on top without having ever pulled out. One of his legs hung off the bed but he just planted the ball of his foot on the ground while their chests were together again; Nora spread her legs wider, bending her knees on either side of his waist as he rested on one forearm, the other reaching to her thigh and holding on to. At the same time, her own arms were beneath his, one hand on his side while the other was down on his thigh, just beneath his ass where his leg hung off the bed, her nails digging into his skin.

It was at that point he used the leverage he had of his foot on the ground to start thrusting.

He could have taken her roughly like he did nearly every time they fucked, but _this_ was what needed to be different. They needed—no, _he_ needed—the intimacy that came with being gentle, with _making love._ And while at one point in their relationship he’d denied her any amount of intimacy for fear of what it meant because he didn’t quite understand it, now he knew; now, he understood.

And he _needed_ it.

“Arthur,” she gasped, her nails digging even more into his thigh; her lips were right at his ear now as his face was buried against the side of her head, panting breaths exhaled onto her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

While still resting on his forearm, he shifted so his fingers threaded into her hair, and he placed soft kisses against the curve of her jaw, his hips still thrusting at a slow, steady pace. He could tell his groin was rubbing against her clit with each movement because she was tightening around him already, telling him she was starting to get close again.

But he didn’t want this to end.

“I wanna be with you forever,” she whispered; his eyes closed tightly, and he buried his face against her neck.

One of the ways he’d always communicated was through sex; it wasn’t always healthy, he knew that, and Nora had taught him how to talk more rather than to just immediately fuck his complicated feelings out when he didn’t understand what they meant. And, sure, he’d stopped relying on sex to tell her when he was angry or upset with her, and he’d stopped using pleasure as a way to apologize for things he did wrong—well, sort of, because that still happened a good portion of the time when he apologized, though she didn’t mind that part so long as he still _talked_—but using sex to communicate had never been fully eradicated from his way of life.

It was something he knew how to do and this was just that: he wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, how much he loved her, how _sorry_ he was for not being able to give her children… whether she accepted all of those things was something else entirely, but the least he could do was offer it.

The hand that had been on his side was suddenly against his cheek, lifting his head up from her neck so she could look at him, only doing so for a second before she pressed her lips to his, pulling him into another deep kiss. Arthur’s own hand came up from her thigh, gently taking her wrist and pinning it to the bed before his palm ran up her forearm until their fingers were threaded together as he held her hand down at the same time.

The coiling deep in his belly and at the base of his spine was somewhat of a surprise; Maxson wasn’t used to being gentle like this. Though he’d taken her gently plenty of times because he either knew she wanted it, she’d asked for it, or he knew she needed it—though he, of course, enjoyed the intimacy as well—it was still something he struggled to really cum with. And paired with how fucking horrible he was feeling? How anxious and, fuck, whatever this other feeling was? He didn’t know if he’d be able to cum, especially at this pace; but, then again…

The kiss broke and their faces rested together, both of them panting heavily against one another. Arthur’s hips sped up just slightly, though not much, as he felt that coiling grow tighter and tighter, warning him he was getting closer to his end. And with Nora’s trembling legs around him, he knew she was close, too.

His wife tipped over the edge first, moaning his name until he devoured the sound with his lips, but he had to pull away again as soon as he felt himself teetering on the edge.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum,” he breathed against her; he could feel her intentionally squeezing her walls around him despite how she was still pulsing from her orgasm, and a low groan rumbled from his chest.

“Cum for me, baby,” she whispered, her voice breathless. “Please.”

Nora’s hand had managed to grab onto part of his ass, nails digging into his skin and making him groan once more as he kept thrusting, keeping the same pace until he finally hilted himself and came inside her, his vault dweller making a soft noise of contentment beneath him. But rather than pulling out, he, instead, just remained atop her, keeping their faces pressed together as he tried to catch his breath, his cock still buried inside her even as he went soft.

They were both quiet, other than their heavy breathing, Nora granting him mercy by not making him speak, instead just relishing in the close contact and intimacy of the aftermath of their sex. But while that was a mercy, his mind granted him no such thing, still lingering on the thoughts that would haunt him.

But he’d made up his mind about something, at least.

“I don’t want a surrogate,” he said quietly, refusing to open his eyes even as he felt her hands cup his face to pull away so she could look at him. “I don’t—I don’t want that. I’m sorry.”

Arthur prepared himself for the disappointment she’d show him, expecting her to grow upset at his decision. Maybe if he changed it really quick—

“Okay.”

His brows furrowed despite his eyes remaining closed, too fucking afraid to look at her. But… okay? That was it? She didn’t sound angry or upset, but she also didn’t sound happy or satisfied. Fuck, it really sucked being unable to read people.

“… ‘Okay’?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

Swallowing hard, Maxson gathered the courage to open his eyes, finally meeting her gaze; she had a slight smile on her face. “What do you mean ‘okay’?” he asked.

“I mean okay, we don’t have to have a surrogate. We don’t have to have kids. I told you I’m fine with not having any, Arthur, and I meant it.”

His chest ached again as he stared at her, though he had a feeling there was some sort of expression on his face because she just gave a slightly wider smile. “You’re sure?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah. I’m sure.”

Lowering his head back down, he pressed their faces together again, his eyes closing as he felt a sudden wave of relief wash over his body, engulfing him and allowing him to finally relax as if he hadn’t done so in ages.

“I love you so much, Leonora Maxson,” he whispered.

“I love you, too, Arthur Parker.”

“I’m divorcing you if you make that joke again.”

“Sure, you are, Arthur Par—_ow!”_

Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied, this is not seven chapters. there will be an eighth. gonna do an epilogue so y'all can see where they end up. got some good surprises in it for you!


	8. Epilogue

With the biological end of the Maxson line, Arthur and Nora were able to focus on building and strengthening their relationship, as well as his status within the Brotherhood. There was no longer any pressure for them to procreate, the news finally getting out to the rest of the Citadel and, eventually, the rest of the Brotherhood around the wasteland.

While disappointment was present, condolences were expressed—people apologizing for not only his inability to reproduce, but for the end of his name and bloodline, as well. Many expressed displeasure in his decision to not select a surrogate father, some insinuating it was his wife’s choice rather than his own, though he’d quickly corrected those rumors.

It was almost two months after the revelation of Maxson’s infertility that High Elder Sanders arrived at the Citadel, citing his long journey around the wasteland as his lack of presence. Word had traveled to him and he apologized for his absence, expressing condolences but also understanding for Arthur’s decision; the man had always been more kind and caring than anyone else he’d ever known, almost identical to Owyn Lyons. There was no judgment when they spoke about it, and the High Elder agreed that Arthur had the right to make whatever choice he wanted and felt was correct.

Sanders wasted no time before calling for a vote among the Elder Council, ordering that Arthur be placed among them and demanding he take the seat that had been specifically left vacant for him—there were to be four Council Elders and one High Elder, all able to vote on important decisions that impacted the Brotherhood as a whole. As expected, Gunny and Bael didn’t hesitate for Arthur to join the Council, but Hardin was not so pleased, citing how Maxson was too young, needed more experience, and hadn’t yet earned his place—but Sanders was unhappy with these claims and, after the two men left to speak privately, Hardin no longer verbally protested but still hadn’t changed his vote.

It didn’t matter, however, because Arthur was added to the Council, regardless, as the two remaining votes—along with Sanders’—gave him the majority.

Now, not only was he the youngest Elder in Brotherhood of Steel history, but he was also the youngest Elder on the _Council_ in Brotherhood of Steel history; an accomplishment, undoubtedly, but one he wouldn’t boast about as he had never been a person to brag.

Over time, Maxson made considerable changes. While the rest of the Elder Council left to return to their original chapters, Arthur remained at the Citadel since it was his home, using his knowledge and experience to increase defense and offense, rebuilding and fortifying the base, and making proposals and recommendations for other bases within the wasteland, as well. He added training programs to help initiates and knights improve their techniques and worked alongside his proctors to provide them with what resources they needed to improve rad-x and radaways for wastelanders—Nora having been the influence for that as she knew the people of the wasteland would need and appreciate the help. Additionally, he also ensured the standard weapons his soldiers used were upgraded with better modifications to be used in the field, as well as power armor receiving increased damage and radiation resistance. 

Around five years after being added to the Council, he was called to a meeting in the Mojave without much explanation, just that it was important and that he was needed immediately. He and Nora went together, of course, because he never traveled without her—he left the Citadel in the hands of Lancer-Captain Kells, his second-in-command—and once they arrived, he was informed of just what he was needed for— 

Elder Hardin had been caught selling information about the Brotherhood to the New California Republic.

A trial was held by the rest of the Elder Council, as well as with High Elder Sanders, to discuss the situation. The evidence was damning, to say the least, and Hardin was quickly found guilty by all four men. Justice was swift and Hardin was sentenced to death, his chapter soon sent into a mild form of chaos without a leader.

This left one of the seats on the Council open from the Mojave chapter, as well, though they knew it wasn’t able to remain open for long; despite how Arthur’s had been vacant for some time as it was held for him, there was no real reason to leave Hardin’s open, so they knew there needed to be a replacement—and, additionally, there needed to be a chapter Elder appointed, too. Many possibilities were presented, a long list of names within each chapter, but one who didn’t get much attention until Nora pointed it out was Star Paladin Cross.

Cross was an exceptional soldier who Arthur had often found himself admiring as a boy, and her name was one of the first he’d put on the list, but the other two Council Elders had quickly dismissed her. Of course, Nora had a suspicion why, but his wife wouldn’t let it pass. 

It didn’t take much convincing to get Gunny to change his mind, and, eventually, Bael went along with it, as well, though his vote wasn’t necessarily needed at that point; and soon, Cross had accepted the nomination and was transferred to the Mojave chapter to be inducted as their new Elder and placed on the Elder Council, bringing the chapter back into order under her strong leadership.

Arthur was proud of his wife—never had he been prouder.

From there, Nora inserted herself more into his role. Not that he minded, of course, though she knew she couldn’t get too involved in some areas. She kept herself out of conversations regarding combat since that wasn’t her area of expertise and mostly involved herself with negotiations or other sorts of politics, finding her interest there whenever she could. The rest of the Council didn’t seem to mind, for the most part, since it was really just her expressing her opinions while she couldn’t really vote—and he’d noticed them taking her seriously, which he was grateful for.

And even as he became High Elder at the age of 35, she continued to express her opinions and thoughts, working alongside him not just as his wife, but as his partner, where he found her input valuable and certainly appreciated her help.

While it wasn’t often Nora went outside the Citadel, he still wasn’t fond of it when she did, and he preferred to go with her, or that she at least have Paladin Danse accompany her, as the man was the only other person aside from himself that he truly trusted to take care of her and protect her with his life. But he never tried to stop her when she went down to the Potomac to get some fresh air and just walk along its shores so long as she had protection.

But upon her return one day, she’d seemed to pick up two additions to the squad—not like the kitten she’d found in the Commonwealth at Kingsport Lighthouse that tortured Arthur for years, the damned thing—but _children._ Young children, at that. Twins, a boy and a girl, merely five years old.

Their parents had died near the river’s edge from mirelurks, the two kids hiding in a small sewage drain until Nora and the soldiers stumbled upon the sea beasts and cleared them out, only for the kids to reveal themselves while covered in mud and grime and tears. And, of course, Nora wouldn’t—_couldn’t_—have left them there, so she brought them back to the Citadel, holding their hands, claiming something along the lines of, _”you were right, I do have a motherly instinct.”_

He was right, indeed.

The Maxson line may have biologically ended, but with the adoption of two children—Alexander and Anastasia Maxson—Arthur and Nora became parents; and, as a surprise to himself, he embraced them as his own and watched them grow up before his eyes, as well as admired how Nora mothered them. She was just as beautiful a mother as he thought she’d be.

Things didn’t turn out so bad, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for sticking around, y'all! I hope you enjoyed this fic as much as I did!
> 
> feel free to leave feedback! favorite parts? least favorite parts? what can I improve on with writing? I love constructive criticism!
> 
> blind betrayal does not happen, btw, in case you haven't figured that out with the mention of Danse.


End file.
